Red Flagged Procedure

[jennyjoan]

If a person has been told the above - does that mean as quickly as possible.

[Mamyalynne]

Without any further context from you JJ, then the answer must be yes.

There's a Red/Amber/Green system in prescribing but that's something different.

[jennyjoan]

just a friend had to go for a gynae test and they have found polyps etc - she has had cancer 2 years ago with the removal of her two breasts so hospital has red-flagged for to get this procedure done ie biopsies. That's all she told me. Would you think this is very serious for her.

[Mamyalynne]

With her history they will prioritise her along the path, the soonest seen the better the outlook JJ.

Hope all goes well.

[rowanwitch]

Can be a procedure with specific staffing needs for post procedure care. For example a high risk treatment that must have one to one nursing and can't go ahead if that staffing is not available. This usually means allocating an icu bed as that staffing ratio would be the norm. It can be a ward based activity where the need is short term e.g. a few hours

[jennyjoan]

God help her I'm sure she is worried sick. She is due to go on a mini break in June - hopefully she will get going.

[rowanwitch]

Cancer target patient with the red flag term being a local one as it is not likely to be a recurrence it will be a 62 rather than 31 day. Red flagging not a usually system in booking procedures.

[jennyjoan]

sorry Rowan I don't understand - are you saying she could wait up to 62 days for an appointment which is 2 months etc.

[rowanwitch]

Tell her not to fret too much, as I said it sounds like the term has been used incorrectly. She might need to postpone her break for a few weeks but the biopsies should be a routine few hours in clinic and if she is well afterwards no reason why treatment couldn't be delayed a few extra days so she can get away. Only problem might be if she was going abroad, it could affect her insurance.

[jennyjoan]

"appointment" to mean "procedure"

[rowanwitch]

No it's 62 days to definitive treatment so no more than that time before surgery for example or radiotherapy but if the biopsy proves nothing sinister is going on the target will be cancelled.

[Sqad]

If they found polyps then they would have biopsied them there and then, unless of course they were found on a scan.
Cervical polyps are almost never cancerous and uterine polyps var, very rarely cancerous.
So, from what you have said.......no big deal.

[jennyjoan]

thanks Sqad and Rowan - the thing is with the removal of breasts I know she is always frightened of the cancer coming back. She had the previous day gone to the cancer hospital getting a scan (don't ask me what that was) but she got the all clear there.

We will just have to wait and see.

[jennyjoan]

She was told she had thickening of the womb and there were polyps. All her life she has had so much trouble with her womb as all her life she suffered with endometriosis - should have got her womb removed many years ago.

[237SJ]

Thickening of the womb is a side effect of Tamoxifen (an anti estrogen drug) and can happen quite soon after being taking it.

[237SJ]

*after taking it*