Navigation Menu

Part I - Cancer Industry Overview:  
Part II - Initial Diagnosis of Cancer: 
  a. The diagnosis (making sure to get info on the specific type and staging of the cancer.....there are 30 types of ovarian cancer).
  b. The importance of a second opinion. 
  c. Surgical vs. needle biopsy  
  d. The importance of "sentinel node" procedure in determining lymph node involvement as part of cancer staging. 
  e. A critical test if chemotherapy is a treatment option - chemosensitivity testing (must preserve live cancer tissue at time of surgery). 
  f.  The importance of clear margins (preferably wide) if surgery option is used (get a copy of the pathology report). 
  g.  The importance of using one of the Cancer Consulting services. 
  h. Checking on limitations or advanced approvals required from health insurance provider. 
  i. The importance of keeping a detailed medical log of dates of all doctors visits and exact procedures performed, including test results. 
  j. The need for another relative or friend to attend all consultations (i.e. will give another set of ears on what is said and someone to discuss therapy options with).  
  k. The importance of obtaining baseline readings on critical tests so that treatment options can be measured to determine if their effective.   
 
Part III - Cancer Therapy Options:
Part IV - Nutrition for Cancer:
Part V - More Cancer Resources:
Part VI - Cancer Medical Terms:
Part VII - Survivor Characteristics:
Part VIII - Self-help Approaches:
Part IX - Testimonials of Survivors:
Part X - Forum for Patients:
Part XI - What I would do:
Part XII - Recent Developments:
Part XIII - Other Cancer Info:

Part II - Dealing with the Initial Diagnosis of Cancer
          h. Checking on limitations or advanced approvals required from insurance provider.

Some insurance companies require advanced approval for certain testing or procedures, so it’s important to have that knowledge as consideration is being given to various diagnostic and treatment options.  In addition, there may be promising treatment options that the insurance provider will consider to be “experimental” and thus not cover.  For example, the chemosensitivity testing mentioned in another part of this website, is a test that will likely not be covered by insurance.

Also, there are medical centers, like the Cancer Treatment Centers of America **, that limit the number of Medicare patients that they will see during a specified period of time due to the lower authorized payment schedule by Medicare.  In that case, one would likely be put on a waiting list, and that may not be a desirable situation for the cancer patient when seeking treatment at the earliest possible date following diagnosis and a comprehensive review of therapy options.

Lastly, while some procedures and testing may be covered by the insurance provider, the medical center providing the service may not be willing to deal with that matter, leaving it up to the individual to pay for the medical service and then seek re-imbursement from the insurance company.

All of these situations need to be considered as they may affect the decision on what cancer tests or treatment options will be used.

** Based on a recent phone conversation with staff at this Medical Center.