Best place for metastatic (spine) breast cancer 2nd opinion

heathertoo

A friend had Stage 3c breast cancer and has just been diagnosed with a large malignant tumor on her neck and a 1 inch suspicious spot in her spine. The treatment plan is radiation to both spots and chemo (pill) and Faslodex shots.

She is looking for a 2nd opinion (well all her friends are pushing her to get one) and people are recommending MD Anderson. We are in Tennessee (Knoxville), so that is far for her. She is not sure that there is that much variation in the treatment so that it would be worth going there. I don't even know if you have to actually fly there to get a 2nd opinion.

Her doctors haven't told her what stage she is or what her prognosis is, so at this point she is worrying more about taking a day off work or her husband having to take time off. I am also a breast cancer survivor, so I have read the statistics, so I am very worried for her. It also seems like her current treatment team should have caught this long before now, so I have some concern about whether she is getting the best possible treatment.

I would appreciate any thoughts on whether it is worth it to get an out-of-town 2nd opinion at a top-ranked hospital. I don't know if you're allowed to mention hospitals by name on this forum; I searched and couldn't find any discussion of particular ones. I was trying to find out the best place for metastatic breast cancer, but I can't find anything on the web that is not put out by the hospitals themselves!

Thanks!

Heather

MelissaDallas

NCI designated cancer centers are the best of the best. Vanderbilt-Ingram in Nashville is one