Advice on second opinion!

[Cobweb2]

My Mum finished 1st line chemo ( carbo only ) last April, scan showing still small tumours but had shrunk well. No surgery because of other health issues. Scan 5 months later showed one new small tumour and others grown a little, probably platinum resistant now?? Dr said not worried enough to start treatment again and do another scan in Jan 22 which we have just had and got results on Wednesday!!! Me (and my Mum) would like to get a second opinion on surgery as worried chemo isn't going to be enough! When you ask for a second opinion how precise can you be eg. the surgeon you would like , anesthetist , hospital etc. I have done some research and would like to go to the Royal Marsden ( Sutton ) and talk to Dr Barton and I have read there is also an anesthetist which specialises in complex co morbidities there! Any info on experiences of getting your second opinion would be really helpful! Thankyou!

[Lyndy]

Hi, sorry you and your Mum are having to think about this. I went for a second opinion and yes I specified what I wanted. You could call up Dr Barton’s secretary and check that they will accept the referral but you have good reasons for wanting to do this…so go for it! xx

[Starbarn]

Hi cobwebs . When you have your next consultation I would ask your team to refer you to the consultation your interested in. I am in a similar situation . I had surgery though, then 6 months later a recurrence then carboplatin. Which worked i then had another recurrence although only small 6 months later. So more chemo was not an option. I did my research and asked to see an oncologist in another hospital that was running the Atari trial which I started this week. It took from my request in October until now to start it. Your team is there to help and support you and won’t be offended. Good luck

[MarleyZ]

Mr Barton rocks he was my surgeon on both occassions and found him to be a down to earth surgeon, really knows his stuff he can be contacted via his secretary at either RH or St George's hospital where he runs the onocology and cancer team would try either or places, his resume is outstanding, good luck.

[testarossa71]

Hi Cobweb, you sound very stressed, it must be terribly worrying to have someone you love so much go through this. Of course it is your Mum's right to seek a second opinion, but I would consider going back to her current consultant with some questions first:

I know that sometimes Consultants will not start new chemotherapy on tiny growths - my understanding is that sometimes a little bit bigger is better, because it gives the chemo something to really target. However, that's anecdotal, and I would urge your Mum to make contact again with her consultant to really understand: why they won't perform surgery now; if and when they would plan to start chemo again; what chemo that might be (there are a number of other effective non-platinum options); and what might need to change before they would consider surgery. It could easily be that they are apparently relaxed because they know that what they are planning is a good plan, but that they just haven't explained it well enough to your Mum.

You mention wanting an anaesthetist with experience in complex co-morbidities. Why is that necessary? If your Mum has co-morbidities, then that may be what is influencing the decision to operate or not. Again, without more detail, it's hard to know what their reasons are.

By all means, start the process for a second opinion, but I really would urge your Mum to seek more clarity from her current consultant.

Your Mum is lucky to have you fighting her corner. Wishing you both luck.

[OvacomeSupport Partner My Ovacome Team]

Hi Cobweb2

Thank you for your post and for sharing this experience. I’m sorry to hear that you and your mum are feeling worried right now. You’ve mentioned that you and your mum are interested in getting a second opinion and I wanted to share this Ovacome resource with you which I hope will be informative: ovacome.org.uk/getting-a-se... - We can also send this booklet in the post if you prefer.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you would like to talk anything through with a member of the Ovacome support team. You can call our support line on 0800 008 7054, email us via [e-mail], or message us directly through this forum. We're here Monday - Friday, 10am - 5pm.

Best wishes

Annie

Ovacome support

[Nicky100]

I would wholeheartedly recommend a second opinion. I found one in London- at Imperial. If you want their details please pm and I will send them. They are incredible and do pioneering surgery there. x