Pace of process and 2nd opinion necessity

bcnav

Hi. My mom was diagnosed a week ago on 2/14 with IDC stage 2B, grade 3, 90% proliferation, triple-negative in breast and at least one lymph node. We went to Houston Methodist West and were able to see the surgeon same day. This week we had a port installed, PET scan (which showed no spread elsewhere), met with oncologist, and gave genetic test sample. Next week she has a heart echo before treatment starts.

Earlier this week, I thought it would be a good idea to get a second opinion. I picked MD Anderson at the Med Center. We have the next available appointment on 2/28. The problem is that team is 2 male and 1 female; my mom wants to see an all female team because of religious norms. The next available all female at MDA is on 3/6.

The problem is if we skip the 2nd opinion, she could possibly start treatment on 2/28, pending everything is clear from test next week. If we take the MDA 2nd opinion on 3/6, we would probably have to start treatment on 3/11 at the earliest, pending MD Anderson doesn’t have a significantly different recommendation from Houston Methodist West. For her case, is the 2nd opinion important enough to warrant starting treatment around 2 weeks later? Main concern is how much it will grow in those 2 weeks over value of 2nd opinion.

Thank you all.

Ingerp

A few weeks won't matter, but I don't think a second opinion is warranted unless you don't trust the first one. There's enough information available here and on other BC sites to see if the recommended treatment is typical for your mother's diagnosis. If she likes her current team, I'd stick with them.

bcnav

Thanks for the reply. It’s not that we don’t trust them, I guess it’s just confirming that this is the right diagnosis and treatment plan for her. Some family is also insistent on MDA since they’re supposed to be ranked number 1 nationwide. I don’t know what to make of the rankings to be honest. Mom does like her doctors at Methodist and it would be 10 minutes away versus 40-50 minutes to MDA at the Med Center.