A breast cancer survivor, Camille had made a full recovery and had been feeling fine for years, until she began to suffer from abdominal pain and vomiting. At first she thought it was just stress, yet the episodes grew more intense. Soon Camille had experienced severe weight loss and was afflicted by her symptoms nearly every day.

Despite extensive testing, including biopsies, endoscopies and colonoscopies, Camille’s diagnosis remained elusive. Her doctors thought that it might be Crohn’s disease (an inflammatory bowel condition) yet the test results gave no signs of malignancy and were so inconclusive that they could not say for sure.

Suffering, in pain, and with no definitive diagnosis or treatment plan, Camille decided to contact Best Doctors.

After ensuring that they had Camille’s complete records and test results, the Best Doctors team first compiled everything into a clinical summary of findings. They then sent the biopsies from Camille’s small bowel for repeat testing at a top laboratory in the U.S. The pathology review marked a dramatic change in the case: two deposits of a rare type of cancer, known as signet ring cell adenocarcinoma, were identified. Both had been missed in the original biopsies.

Best Doctors then sent the case to an oncologist specialised in gastroenterologic cancer. Given the highly unusual features of the cancer found and in light of Camille’s medical history, he recommended further testing of the biopsies to see if this might actually be breast cancer. Working closely with Camille’s local treating team to obtain additional imaging tests at the same time as the recommended repeat pathology, Best Doctors soon had the results: the cancer was indeed metastatic breast cancer, a recurrence of Camille’s disease from years ago.

Best Doctors then selected the most appropriate expert in breast cancer, who provided Camille with a plan for hormone therapy she could begin immediately. In a very short time, she began to improve, and soon recovered from symptoms that previously been so debilitating.

The Best Doctors comprehensive case analysis and pathology review was pivotal in detecting a cancer that had escaped detection due to its unusual features. Thanks to the new diagnosis, Camille is now receiving the right treatment for a cancer she has beaten before.