Doctors matter in treatment of breast cancer

A recent journal article presents evidence that suggests that the course of treatment that a doctor chooses to treat a breast cancer patient may play a larger role in expected outcomes than was previously believed. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute's article (online 01/03/2011; print 01/19/2011) Breast Cancer Outcome: Your Doctor Matters examines variations in outcomes from surgeon to surgeon. When comparing outcomes, many factors must be considered. In this instance, those factors include size of the tumor, its location, its grade, and which treatment is chosen. In about one-third of these cases, how the patient responds is directly due to their physician. It is further suggested that a patient can improve the odds of receiving optimal care and treatment by choosing a doctor with a history of treating their specific condition. This is something that Castle Connolly, publisher of America's Top Doctors® for Cancer, now in its sixth edition, has been advising to its readers for two decades.

"There are significant differences between leading medical centers, specialty, and teaching hospitals versus smaller community hospitals," said John J. Connolly, Ed.D., President and CEO of Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. "Time and again, a review of patient experiences and outcomes will show that doctors make a difference when choosing a treatment protocol for an individual patient," said Dr. Connolly, "and our print guides and online database of Top Doctors are among the best places to search for a top doctor when faced with a diagnosis of cancer."

Castle Connolly's America's Top Doctors® for Cancer 6th ed., is a user-friendly, consumer guide containing the detailed profiles of more than 2,300 of the nation's leading cancer specialists for adults and children across more than 40 medical specialties. Other valuable material contained in this guide includes information on how to locate clinical trials which are carefully controlled studies of new and experimental therapies that may not yet have been approved.

America's Top Doctors® for Cancer (6th edition, $29.95) is available at all major bookstores, at 1-800-399-3627 or at www.castleconnolly.com/books. And for those preferring the search functionality of an online database, full access to the entire Castle Connolly Top Doctors' database is available for only $24.95, the cost of becoming an online Premium Member at www.castleconnolly.com.