ABSTRACT
Among those patients who do undergo biopsy, the time it takes to obtain a definitive diagnosis is often protracted because of scarcity of pathologists to read and interpret the biopsy material. Once a breast cancer diagnosis is established, the patient may not be able to afford or may not have ready access to definitive surgery, radiation, and/or systemic therapy. Indeed, immunohistochemistry resources to assess for molecular marker expression (estrogen receptor, ER; progesterone receptor, PR; and HER2/ neu) are often non-existent, disabling the oncology team from making effective and optimal adjuvant therapy recommendations. Tragically, each of these junctures noted for treatment delays represents opportunities for patients to be lost to follow-up.
