Research indicates that women undergoing breast cancer treatment get better treatment when they select their own surgeon and hospital.
Many patients rely on referrals to surgeons who are not breast cancer specialists.
When women select a specialist with experience in the particular type of surgery in question, they can expect better results, according to research at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
Only one-third of the 1,844 breast cancer patients in the study worked with a surgeon who spent over 50 percent of his time working with breast cancer cases.
Women who took a hand in choosing a surgeon tended to work with surgeons who had experience in breast surgery and they tended to receive treatment in comprehensive treatment settings, according to Dr. Steven Katz, director of health services research at the university's cancer centre, WebMD reports.
The study is published in the January 20th issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.