Elvira Lang, associate professor of Radiology at Harvard just reported the results of a study monitoring the cortisol levels of women awaiting the results of breast biopsies. It turns out that those awaiting results experience stress at the same level as women who are told they have breast cancer. Some women have been waiting 5 or more days without an explanation of the delay. The last thing that people in our culture need is more stress. Especially if they are about to battle cancer.
Harvard researchers tracked 126 women who had breast biopsies and monitoring their cortisol levels. The average wait just for results was 2 1/2 days. By day 5, 37 women knew that their biopsy was negative, 16 had learned that they had cancer and 73 still did not have the results. WOW. How can that be?
The effect of cortisol on healing and the immune system is well documented and is very detrimental.
This is an area where health care providers could perform a wonderful service by providing results in a more timely manner and supporting their patients in the interim.
Check out Tara Parker Pope’s New york Times Article Study Documents the Stress of Waiting for Biopsy Results.
