How Can You Ensure You’ve Had Essential Metastatic Breast Cancer Testing?

How Can You Ensure You’ve Had Essential Metastatic Breast Cancer Testing? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

How can metastatic breast cancer patient ensure they receive essential testing? Dr. Jane Lowe Meisel explains how tests can vary by patient and shares advice for key questions to ask to help ensure optimal care.

Jane Lowe Meisel, MD is an Associate Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University. Learn more about Dr. Meisel here.

See More From INSIST! Metastatic Breast Cancer

Related Resources:

Essential Testing Following a Metastatic Breast Cancer Diagnosis

How Genetic Mutations Affect Metastatic Breast Cancer Prognosis and Treatment

What Are Essential Genetic Tests for Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients?

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Transcript:

Katherine:

We’ve talked about several key tests. Some patients may be confused about whether they’ve received these tests. So, what questions should they ask their physician to make sure they’re getting appropriate testing?

Dr. Meisel:

I think it’s probably useful because not everybody needs every test, and I think there are often things you hear about online or from friends or even in a webinar like this and there may be a good reason why you haven’t had that particular test. So, I wouldn’t assume that if you haven’t had everything that we’ve talked about today even, that someone’s made a mistake or that you need that and aren’t getting it. But I would ask. I think it’s always helpful to know more, knowledge is power. And so, if you have never had a CT scan or a CA27-29 level or a genomic testing.

I think it’s not a bad thing if you’re curious about it, to just ask your treating team, “Hey, I heard about genomic testing, is there a reason I haven’t had that? Or have I had that?” Maybe you have, and they called it something else. I think it is complicated, but I think it helps to understand what you’ve had done and what you haven’t had done. And sometimes, asking about something like that may prompt the team to do things that my benefit you.