3rd breast cancer for my mom...what to do?

[xafnndapp]

My mom is 74.
In 1996 she had her first mastectomy of her left breast, then she was fine until 2001 when she had a recourrance on her right breast and had her second mastectomy.

Everything fine until a couple of months ago when she found another lump on her left side, she went for a biopsy and it came back positive.
Of course there is nothing else to make surgey on...

An onchologist in Brooklyn NY suggested for her specific level of cancer daily radiations and a combination of Faslodex once a month and Herceptin once every 3 weeks aprox, no chemio.
We would like to take her to Sloan-Kettering in Manhattan for a second and theoretically more specific opinion.

I know that of course it is not easy to give specific suggestions without seeing medical records, but what is your feeling about her history and her chances?...

Thanks!

[boninclyde]

Doc will only answer you once. I know some ladies at breastcancer.org have gone to the same hospital for treatment and there are quite a few there that are dealing with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd reoccurances. Maybe some of ladies ladies could guide you. It's breastcancer.org. Then click on community support and join the discussion board. Scroll down for the particular topic you want to read or post a question on. I do hope your mother will be ok.

[xafnndapp]

3rd opinion from oncologist at Sloan-Kettering today, and according to this last one, chemo would not be "necessary" now, only radiations and hormone cure, perhaps of the "Famara" family which is the hormone she took for 5 years ib between the two cancers of the two breasts.
We found out only today that the two cancers (the 1996 and 2001 ones) were not "related" at all.

I would say quite the opposite opinion to the second one, and quite close to the first one.

Of course this sounds MUCH better than the second opinion (and theoretically Memorial-Sloan Kettering is THE place for breast cancer?...) but how can we be sure this would be the right choice for her?...

[xafnndapp]

Thanks for yr reply.
Yesterday another oncologist told us that he suggests chemio once a week in low dosis combined with Herceptin, and only after few weeks begin with radiations....
That's because according to him her cancer is hormone-resistant as she has taken Femara and Tamoxifen in between the two surgeries as a "preventive" hormone cure.
We are more confused now....
What direction to take??
Chemio is a scary word for my mom, my father died of Leukemia 30 years ago and she went through seeing him suffering enormously with that....

[Cleveland Clinic]

Dear xafnndapp, It is difficult to comment on a specific situation without benefit of evaluation of all the test results to put that information into context of discussion with the patient and physical examination.  Obtaining a second opinion is a good idea to have her situation reviewed.  The timing of a second opinion is best when decisions are being made about the next step in treatment (before treatment is started).