Which special doc I need to talk to for 2nd opinion?

you want a medical oncologist. Some MOs also have hematology training so you often see the credentials doubled. That Dr's reviews sound nice

Have you had an oncotype or mammaprint done yet? If not yet, I'd wait till you have that so they have all the info

Hi,

I am in the Springs and it appears that doc is in Ft. Collins. I can tell you we have been in the UCH system for many years and my husband had a transplant even in Denver. We trust them totally. They will make sure you are directed to who need to see. My breast surgeon was in the system as well down here as well.

Best wishes to you.

To my posts in your other thread, your first step should be to talk to your MO (or surgeon, since your MO doesn't appear to agree) about getting an Oncotype test. The results might confirm that you would benefit most from an intensive chemo regimen or might suggest that a shorter regimen would suffice, or could even put into question the need for chemo (although this 3rd scenario is less likely given your age and nodal involvement).

The discussion in your earlier thread provides important information for those reading/responding here: https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topics/877316?page=1#post_5579704

Edited to add: July15, We were posting at the same time. Previously you said "My Oncologist said if I have any node positive, then he won't even use oncotype score because it's not accurate." Did your MO confirm with you since your surgery that he won't be getting an Oncotype score for you or has it just not been discussed since? At what point (and based on what results) did you have the discussion with your MO about the 4 + 8 chemo (AC-T, I assume).

I'm also in Colorado and was treated at UCHealth, main campus at Anschutz. Not sure where you are located, but if you can make the drive to Aurora, I would highly recommend you consult with any oncologist at their Breast Center. https://www.uchealth.org/locations/uchealth-diane-o-connor-thompson-breast-center-anschutz/

They have multiple oncologists, all specializing in treating breast cancer, which is what you want. My oncologist is Dr Borges, she has a lot of research into young women's breast cancer, and I trust her 100% (I was 40 years old when DX)

Yes, I agree that you can get chemo (or not) anywhere. I was on a clinical trial, so had to go for chemo to Anschutz. I'm assuming it works the same with radiation, and if I had to get rads, I would probably have done it in Boulder. Too much hassle driving to Aurora for 15 minute session every day.

Do you know hormone receptors status yet?

Hi July,

I am a Kaiser patient in Northern CA. I had my second (outside of Kaiser) opinion at Stanford. They are an NCI facility and actually have a procedure set up for second opinions. My case was presented to a tumor board and then I met with one of their mo’s and someone else (sorry it was 9 years ago). Most of my records were sent electronically but I did hand carry something (forgot what). It was, of course, self pay but it helped to put my mind at ease. I have been stage IV almost since initial dx and that was 9 years ago! Wishing you the best

hello July.... I am also a kaiser Colorado patient but I’m in the southern region and so we don’t have any kaiser offices that take breast cancer patients....kaiser only has primary care docs down here. I receive my care through UC Health and am beyond pleased with the care I have received I highly recommend them for breast cancer care in Colorado. I did not like the first radiology oncologist I saw and it was not a problem to get a second opinion which was covered by kaiser. My husband has some health issues and has never had an issue getting a second opinion at no additional cost to us.

As you can see from my signature I was diagnosed 2/20/20. At my initial appt with my breast surgeon she did a manual exam and had concerns with a swollen lymph node she felt and did a biopsy on the spot. It had some cancer cells and that changed my treatment plan. She had me do genetic testing at that time which showed I have the PALB2 mutation which raises my risk for breast cancer (and ovarian and pancreatic) and so the plan to do surgery first changed and I went to a multidisciplinary team. They didn’t do an onocotype or the other test due to my lymph node and genetic mutation and after all the scans to make sure it hadn’t spread I started AC-T chemo 4/1. I just finished and have surgery in September and then rads. An aggressive plan but I want to throw the kitchen sink at this. My medical oncologist is also a hemotologist.

Not sure if any of that is helpful. Advocate to get a second or third opinion if you want. My thoughts are with you as you go through this.

Heather