Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis is stressful enough without having to wait days or weeks for a specialist appointment and answers.

To ease this stress, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center provides same- or next-day appointments (SONDA) for patients recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

“Our whole objective with launching the SONDA program is to ease our patients’ minds,” says breast surgical oncologist Paige Harwell, MD. “Getting a breast cancer diagnosis can be extremely terrifying for a lot of women. They have so many questions, and the thought of having to wait a week or 10 days to get those answered – it’s a long time to go down a rabbit hole.”

The SONDA program lets you meet quickly with a breast cancer surgeon who can:

• Answer your urgent questions.
• Explain your diagnosis.
• Start planning your treatment.
• Help you feel like you’re on the right track.

How it works

Any patient diagnosed with breast cancer can request a same- or next-day appointment. You don’t need to worry about whether you qualify, Dr. Harwell emphasizes.

“I want everybody to know they should just ask if they’re interested,” she says.

When you call to schedule your first appointment, the staff will offer you a same- or next-day appointment. You can choose between:

• Meeting with a breast cancer surgeon the same or next day.
• Scheduling a longer appointment where you meet with several cancer specialists at once at the multidisciplinary breast cancer clinic.

The scheduling staff will gather all the information needed, like your imaging results and biopsy reports. 

The program is offered at Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center – Village Pointe Health Center, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center – Nebraska Medical Center and Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center – Bellevue Health Center.

Why fast appointments matter

Seeing a doctor quickly does more than ease your worry. It may help you start treatment sooner.

The Commission on Cancer recommends that breast cancer patients have surgery within 60 days of diagnosis. For patients who need chemotherapy first, treatment should start within 30 days.

“The sooner we can see patients, the sooner we can get them definitive surgical care,” Dr. Harwell says. “Getting patients started on their treatment faster has been shown to improve their outcomes overall.”

You’ll still get complete care

If you choose a same- or next-day appointment, you’ll meet with a surgeon first. But you’ll still see the full cancer care team at a later date to finalize the plan of care. Your case will be reviewed by surgical oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists and radiologists, all working together.

“Patients will still need to meet with the rest of the team on a different day,” Dr. Harwell says. “The purpose of the SONDA program is to get immediate answers to questions and alleviate anxiety, but you are still going to get that multidisciplinary care that breast cancer patients really need.”

The best choice for cancer care

The Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center is the only NCI-designated cancer center in Nebraska. Its breast cancer program includes four breast surgical oncologists, all of whom are fellowship trained. This means they all received additional specialized training in breast cancer after their general surgery training.

The program also includes plastic surgeons who specialize in breast reconstruction and strategies to reduce the risk of lymphedema.