The Breast Center—A Multidisciplinary Model

Abstract

The overall care in the United States for most women with breast cancer, while possibly the “best” in the world, is often fragmented and impersonal. A typical woman finding a palpable mass in her breast anxiously calls her family physician, internist, or gynecologist. She is usually reassured and sees her physican a few days later. Not uncommonly, a patient like this may be followed through one menstrual cycle and, if the lump persists, be referred for a mammogram. Leaving the radiologist’s office, she generally has not been informed of the results. Several days may pass before she hears from her primary physician that her mammogram was “normal” or that she must proceed with further workup.