How long after diagnosis did you have to wait for treatment?

I would get in touch with your dr., I was diagnosed on 4/26 and had surgery 5/04, and met with my medical oncologist and radiation oncologist 2 weeks after surgery. We are just waiting for the oncotype test to come back before I start treatment. You should at least have an appt with your surgeon. Good luck and big hugs!

It varies depending on many 'things' - type (DCIS, IDC, ILC, IBC) is but one consideration.

For me, it was 17 days. Time frame - new mammo, US and biopsies done on Thurs afternoon, had path. report at 8 next morning (IBC), saw Surgeon on Mon, Rads Dr on Wed, saw Chemo Dr Seuss n Thurs. Next week had Bone Scan, MRI and CT (both with contrast), PET Scan, biopsy on an area that 'lit up' along lower jaw (nothing there), port implant and then 17 days after DX started neoadjuvant Chemo.

You didn't say what type (or suspected Stage) or your ER/PR and HER 2 status as these come into play as to time frame.

Do be sure to meet with your entire Team before you jump into TX as it takes the Team working together for your best outcome. Depending on what your DX is, surgery is not always the best option (or even an option) first. For IBC, neoadjuvant Chemo (pre-surgery Chemo) is the standard, it is becoming more common for other types also.

Remember - while the Surgeon, the Chemo Dr (MO/Medical Oncologkst) and Rad Dr (RO/Radiation Oncologist). Each does have knowledge about all the different aspects of TXing BC, they are Specialists in their own field be it surgery, chemo, or rads.

I got diagnosed on 3/4 and had my surgery on 4/19. I could have had the surgery sooner, but I took time deciding between lumpectomy/UMX/BMX and getting second opinions. But I find it strange that you do not know the next steps. Didn't the doctor who diagnosed you explained possible options and referred you accordingly? I was diagnosed by oncologist. When I came in, she gave me the diagnosis and discussed next steps/ treatment options. She referred me to the surgeon, as surgery was the next step in my case.

Blue orange -- do not panic. Not everyone meets with their oncologist immediately -- most often with an 'early' stage ER/PR cancer you meet with the breast surgeon first since the surgery gives you the key information for the treatment plan. As someone mentioned above, in some instances you would need chemo or other treatments before surgery in which case, yes-- you would need the MO first. I have a friend who required chemo first to shrink her HER2 ++ tumors down, so it all depends on what they have in your path report.

I was at a cancer center that does not have you meet the entire team at once. It's fine -- I met them in order of their roles. Did they at least give you a date with a breast surgeon?? I got that right after they called me with the biopsy report so I am surprised they didn't set you up with one!!

I was diagnosed on March 1st and did not have surgery until May 4th. Like Jenn, I had a circuitous path with some extra things they found in the MRI and I was on the fence about lumpectomy vs mastectomy, so everything took a bit longer. Most of the other women I met who were ER/PR grade 1 or 2, stage 1 had surgery within 4-6 weeks of DX.

I met with mybreast surgeon 8 days after diagnosis and she went over the 'possible' treatments but I never spoke to or met my oncologist until late May. However, he had been part of my 'team' all along. He knew everything from the beginning of my DX, we just had nothing to meet about until post-surgery.

Hugs to you...

Surgery was one month from diagnosis. MO followed six weeks after that and the Oncotype DX was ordered.

Blueorange - Let's see.... back in 2011

August 30th - bleeding from left nipple

August 31st - saw Primary Care doc

September 2 - Met with Breast Surgeon for consult

September 8th - diagnostic mammogram, ultrasound, and ductogram

September 12th - ultrasound-assisted core needle biopsy

September 15th - Radiologist called with diagnosis of breast cancer

SO - in 3 weeks I'd seen two docs, had four tests, and gotten a diagnosis.

In the next two weeks, I had three more diagnostic tests.

October 4 - Met with Breast Surgeon and Nurse Navigator to discuss options. Chose Bilateral Mastectomy with Reconstruction.

October 10 - Met with Plastic Surgeon to discuss Reconstruction

October 20 - Had Pre-Op for October 31st surgery, which, thankfully, was cancelled. Didn't want staff in Halloween costumes.

November 8 - Surgery rescheduled, had to cancel - I had the flu.

December 5 - FINALLY got my BMX and recon.

December 30 - First meeting with Oncologist. She wanted to make sure she had the Final Pathology report first.

So you can see that in the beginning, things moved quickly. (Thanks, Kaiser.) But once I had to miss my first two surgery dates, I could swear I could feel the cancer just growing inside me like a balloon blowing up. (The nurse explained that it wasnt.) I had my surgery three months after diagnosis. Saw my Oncologist nearly four months after diagnosis. Started my treatment (Aromatase Inhibitors) almost a year after diagnosis.

You can see how different we all are. Some of that has to do with access to health care, but lots of it has to do with the type and size of your tumor(s). Mine were early and small, and waiting - according to the surgeon - was no big deal. Well, at least for HER. But it is not uncommon.

Wishing you the best!

Blueorange....IMO waiting is not a problem but where you are treated is very important. I would do whatever you can to be treated at a major university teaching hospital. I was diagnosed in March and had surgery in May. I also did not see an oncologist until after my surgery. Unless your tumor is very large and they are considering chemo before surgery it is not necessary. Good luck and keep us posted....

One point I would make is that your are your own best advocate. I was recently referred for stereotactic bx due to mricrocalc in left breast and made the decision to transfer my care to a well respected cancer center that has an affiliation with MGH. It fell upon me to direct my own transfer of care - obtaining films and reports, calling the imaging center that would be doing the bx to find out protocol to schedule the bx, calling the BS of my choice for a consultation. Once I saw the BS who made the referral of bx, I felt that after several days I should have received notice of my scheduled date for the bx. I took it upon myself to call the BS who advised me to call the imaging center to find out status of scheduling. I discovered that the x-ray dept. that had done the diagnostic mammo had failed to provide a complete set of films, therefore, the delay in scheduling. My point in relating this to you is that, if you feel things are not moving fast enough you will find that you will receive status updates if you call. I would call the cancer center to which you are being referred to ensure that they have a complete set of records from the referring physician and get reassurance that you will be contacted soon with an appointment. My bx was positive for presumed DCIS, and my BS discussed with me the next steps to take. I feel comfortable with the further diagnostics he has recommended and do not want to rush into a treatment protocol until we know as much as possible through further diagnostics. I think approaching it this way offers the best possible outcome. Receiving a dx of BC is a frightening and confusing experience. We are all supporting you and wish you the best.

Let’s see:

8/16, late aft.--routine annual screening mammo;

8/17, early morning--message in my patient portal inbox about anomaly, urging me to get diagnostic spot compression mammo & ultrasound; phone call that aft. from the breast center to set up appt.

8/24 (first appt. I could get)--diagnostic mammo & ultrasound, biopsy recommended--couldn’t have it right then bec. I needed to be off all my aspirin, fish oil, etc. for at least 3 days, and was leaving for conference & shows in New Orleans & Pittsburgh the next day, followed by a local folk festival Labor Day weekend, so scheduled biopsy for 9/8. (The venue in Pittsburgh double-booked the date and I stayed on the road an extra week for nothing--could’ve flown straight home from New Orleans and had the biopsy a week sooner).

9/8, early morning--biopsy

9/9, evening--GYN’s partner called w/dx (IDC, Grade 2)

9/10, morning--GYN, back from vacay, called w/more complete results, incl. hormone & HER2 status, suggested I call a BS and gave me 2 names, both partners; called and got 1st appt. I could w/one of them

9/14, midday--met w/BS, who preliminarily staged me, laid out my options; we decided on lx+rads. Said to call her sec’y in morning to get surgery date

9/15--called, to find her first date wasn’t till 10/9. Said I’d never be done with rads &/or chemo in time to take the Med. cruise (nonrefundable) DH & I had booked after his own surgical scare that summer. She called back and announced surgeon had traded dates and could get me in 9/23.

9/17--“Patient teaching session” w/ BS’ NP, who also scheduled BS followup & first MO appt for 10/1.

9/23--surg. & SNB

9/28--surg. path report confirmed stage IA

10/1--MO met w/me and ordered genetic counseling & OncoDX

10/8--genetic counseling & testing

10/10--OncoDX results

10/12--genetic test results

10/14--first RO appt; SNB seroma burst 10/16 & was sutured;

10/21--RO CT & planning

10/29--RO sim, DexaScan; sutures out 10/30

11/2-23--rads.

12/31--started letrozole. (Would’ve been sooner but for the cruise).

So from initial mammo to diagnosis was 4 wks; diagnosis to surgery was 2 weeks, and surgery to rads about 6 wks. From initial mammo to end of rads, a bit over 3 mos. Amazing, since some folks need to wait that long from dx to surgery! (My friend in the s. ‘burbs got her initial dx in Jan. and due to various imaging snafus and having to go to a better hospital, didn’t get her surgery till late April)! I was lucky--no PET scans or MRIs and the sole CT was non-contrast, for mapping. And I was at a major teaching hospital with a dedicated breast clinic and freestanding cancer center.

Thank you Tvler for posting your comment it really helped me out.

I was diagnosed June 6, 2016 I've met with the surgeon, who advised me of my options lumpectomy with radiation therapy or a mastectomy. I finally made a choice of mastectomy yesterday after 2 weeks of trying to really grasp whatttttttt is really happening to me.

I feel like a deer caught in the headlights.

The surgical staff set me up with my Breast Care Coordinator '

I'm still CLUELESS of what's next!

I don't always think sooner is better. I was so happy I sought more opinions. I didn't agree at all with the original BS and I would have had a lx and then probably back into the OR to have a BMX once they discovered more cancer in the original breast. That's assuming they even found it at all.

I am curious why you decided to go for the mx? Your tumor is very small and you are hormone positive so you will be getting hormone blockers?

Have you spent any time on here reading about the pros and cons of each surgery? There is a whole thing about it. If you want the link, send me a PM.

What Trvler said!! Don't let anyone make the decisions for you. Take the time to research and decide what is best for you.

It took 3 months from diagnosis to surgery for me, and looking back I wish I had taken longer to get more information.

I was diagnosed June 9, 2016. I saw my surgeon and my oncologist on the 15th. I had surgery to put my chemo port in on June 20. Bone and CT scans on June 21. I see the onc again tomorrow (June 22) and get an echo cardiogram too. The plan is to start chemo June 28th. Feels very fast, but all the doctors seem to agree on this protocol. I am also glad to not be sitting around waiting and worrying.