Primary Care

Abstract

Primary care physicians play a vitally important role in care and in the management of patients with breast cancer in any setting, but their contribution is especially valuable in a developing country setting. Communication between the family physician and the specialist ensures holistic patient management. Whereas the specialist focuses on management of the breast cancer, the generalist assesses and manages the complex interplay between pre-existing chronic medical conditions and the breast cancer. The biopsychosocial model is the cornerstone of general practice. The primary care physician plays an important role in managing breast cancer patients in all phases of the disease: prediagnosis, diagnosis, during treatment, after-treatment survivorship care, care for the elderly, and palliative care.