Endometrial and Ovarian Cancer Survival Linked to Lack of Referral

Will you help to improve the survival of the 65,000 women who develop endometrial and ovarian cancer each year?

It is an astounding fact that a majority of these women are not initially treated by a specialist in gynecologic oncology, but rather by general gynecologists and / or general surgeons, who have no specialized training in this field. This in itself might not be so alarming except that it has been clearly demonstrated in multiple studies that patients have better survival outcomes when first treated by a gynecologic oncologist because they perform correct surgical staging with lymph node resection in apparent early disease states and aggressive tumor reduction operations for advanced tumors. The three additional years of training and sub-specialty certification equips gynecologic oncologists to properly treat these patients, which improves their chances for survival

So why do general ob-gyns, who spend a lot of their time delivering babies, fail to refer their patients?

The answer to this question may not be clear, but what is certain is that 30,000 to 40,000 women each year can expect a smaller chance of survival because they were knowingly treated below the accepted standard of care by general ob-gyns. Even though the American College of Ob-Gyn has issued referral guidelines about uterine and ovarian tumors, they have not been effective in convincing ob-gyns to limit their practice to their areas of expertise. This does not include treating cancer patients, which has resulted in an unnecessary and inexcusable decrease in survival for thousands of women each year.

These women deserve justice for themselves and their families. The increased awareness that results will protect future patients from the same sad outcome. If you are aware of women with gyn cancers, who had poor outcomes, after initial treatment by non gyn oncologists, contact AME for further discussion of this topic.

The Board-Certified Gynecologist/Oncologist who wrote this article was a medical school professor at UCLA and then Georgetown University. He has been named a “Top Doctor” in two states, and his peers named him one of the “Best Doctors in America.” He has written over forty publications and delivered lectures around the world; his dedication to teaching has earned him the Georgetown Ob-Gyn Residents Teaching Award.

This medical malpractice article was written by an expert witness working with American Medical Experts, LLC (AME). AME is the nation’s leading source of medical experts for case review and testimony; AME also offers the lowest flat rate fees on Complete Case Reviews ($695) and Expert Witness Reports ($995). For more information, call 888-678-EXPERTS (888-678-3973) or visit AmericanMedicalExperts.com.