Brief Answer:
Time to be assertive.

Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXXXXX

The "alert" on the report may be routine for any pathology report on a tumor, to make sure that the doctor sees it. There can be atypical cells that do not indicate actual cancer but are still abnormal, and this will usually receive an "alert" as well.

So the marking of "alert" in itself does not mean that something is drastically wrong. However, reports can slip through the cracks because nursing staff or others don't get it to the doctor, or for other reasons. And because of this, I highly recommend being very proactive and assertive in pursuing this.

You have been more than patient to wait for 2 weeks.

So I strongly recommend that you call your doctors office again, right now if possible. Ask to speak with your wife's doctor's nurse and that it's urgent. They may have a policy that the nurse cannot discuss results over the phone, but when you talk with the nurse, let her know that it has been 2 weeks, that you know the result is done, and that you want to hear from the doctor today as he/she may be out tomorrow for the 4th of July holiday.

I hope this information helps.

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Brief Answer:
Thoughts on this.

Detailed Answer:
Different labs have varying protocols for when and if to ever contact the doctor (beyond just sending a written report when it is ready). At some places, a pathologist will pick up the phone and call the doctor directly to give him or her a heads up. And if the ordering doctor has a high suspicion for a rapidly growing aggressive cancer, they may ask their nurse to call the lab for quicker follow up or they may call the lab themselves.

Many of us will ask the patient to automatically schedule a follow up appointment in the office a certain number of days after a biopsy is done. This allows us to discuss the results of the biopsy when we have a high suspicion that the patient will need follow up care. Then we can discuss the results in person and the options for treatment and referral.

My guess is that the results of your wife's pathology report may not be extremely concerning, because otherwise the doctor's nurse would bring it to him and say "look at this". But it's important to call, and call often, (don't worry about being obnoxious here) because otherwise it can happen that the report might just be sitting in the doctor's in-box buried under messages, refill requests, labs, imaging reports, and consultation letters until he plows through all of that. But by calling, you will have alerted the nurse to pull up the report and get it to the doctor.

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Brief Answer:
Your welcome -

Detailed Answer:
I'm so sorry you have to wait further! I know it is difficult, but try what you can to distract yourselves and keep physically/mentally busy until you can call your doctor's office again.

I hope your 4th goes by quickly without further distress and your doctor gets back with you soon.
Best regards,
Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, MD

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