• Posted May 6, 2025

Second Opinions Don't Significantly Delay Breast Cancer Treatment

TUESDAY, May 6, 2025 (HealthDay news) -- It’s natural to feel a wave of anxiety following a diagnosis of breast cancer.

But women shouldn’t let worries about delaying treatment deter them from seeking a second opinion on their diagnosis and treatment, researchers say.

Patients who got a second opinion following their initial biopsy still proceeded promptly to treatment, researchers reported Friday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Breast Surgeons in Las Vegas.

“Time from biopsy to first treatment fell well within the Commission on Cancer (CoC) guidelines,” researcher Dr. Pooja Varman, a general surgery resident at the Cleveland Clinic, said in a news release.

For the study, researchers tracked 226 patients newly diagnosed with breast cancer between January and July 2024 and treated at the Cleveland Clinic.

Patients who sought a second opinion at the Cleveland Clinic began treatment after an average 41 days, compared with 35 days for those who started treatment at the clinic, results show.

The average time from the first appointment with a cancer surgeon to first treatment was 21 days, with no statistical difference between those who came to the clinic first or came for a second opinion.

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) guidelines call for treatment initiation within 60 days, researchers noted.

Radiologists often recommended additional workup for people arriving for a second opinion, 68% versus about 26%, results show.

However, surgeons tended to recommend additional workup at similar rates between the two groups, 61% versus 64%.

Researchers said people who came for a second opinion required additional imaging and biopsies about 90% of the time, compared with 68% for those who started treatment at the clinic.

“Breast cancer is a life-altering experience,” Varman said. “For patients, exploring all treatment options and finding a physician and clinical team they are comfortable with is crucial.”

She noted that patients seek second opinions for a "wide variety" of reasons.

“Cancer treatment is a physically and emotionally difficult journey and feeling comfortable with the path chosen is extremely important," Varman said. "This study should reassure patients that a second opinion need not impact all-important timeliness of care.”

Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary unless published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has more on getting a second opinion.

SOURCE: American Society of Breast Surgeons, news release, May 1, 2025