They don't want to waste a moment for fear that their cancer will spread. Except for a very small number of extremely aggressive cancers, waiting a few weeks or a month has no effect on survival. You don't want to dawdle, but I encourage patients to take up to a few weeks to consult experts and plan their treatment. It was a very important decision, and I wanted to be sure I made the right one. I didn't want to feel rushed.
Cancer requires a specialist .
According to NCI estimates, only about one-third of cancer patients ever consult oncologists. Some don't want to offend their family physicians by consulting other doctors. Others believe there are no specialists near them. And some believe that to find an oncologist, they must travel long distances to such noted cancer centers as Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York City, or M.D. Anderson in Houston. I refer patients to specialists all the time.