On Thursday I was diagnosed with grade 3 breast cancer, which is her2 positive and it’s also in the lymph nodes. Treatment plan is chemo, surgery then radio. I’m to process the diagnosis to be honest, and will be meeting my oncologist on Wednesday so I’m sure there’s lots more information I’ll be getting in the coming days. Anyway, I wondered what everyone’s opinions were on getting a second opinion? I’m currently at king’s college hospital in London and I’ve been happy so far with everything but my family think I should ask to be referred to the Royal Marsden in Sutton - it’s a bit further away from home, but their thinking is its cancer specialist so must be better. The thought hadn’t really occurred to me until they mentioned it, and my gut feeling is stick with kings (I also have ibd and i like the fact that my gastro team and cancer team will be at the same hospital) and I’m also worried about delaying treatment to get a second opinion. But I’ve zero idea to figure out how good one hospital is versus another. I wondered if anyone had any experience of treatment at king’s and could give any insight?
I’m at Kings too and I requested a second opinion from the Royal Marsden (the Chelsea one) which my oncologist was happy to sort out for me. They agreed with the same plan that Kings had suggested and gave a few ideas for later treatment options, so it was really helpful. They also said I could go back to them at a later date if needed (my treatment is more long term).
One thing that’s good about Kings is that it’s twinned with Guys so they have access to their trials And research centre etc and my oncologist works over both hospitals. He mentioned that Kings was part of an early access scheme for new drugs via Guys. I’ve had genetic testing that’s been done through Guys and it’s all been very straightforward.
I was only diagnosed in June but have been very happy with Kings so far. I only live 10 mins walk away though so it would take quite a lot to get me to go elsewhere.
They also told me that they haven’t stopped any cancer treatment throughout Covid which has got to be a good thing.
I would recommend you look up a dr at the RM and take the name with you to your first meeting and request the second opinion straight away.
Hope that helps - sorry you’re going through this. It’s a lot to process but things will get easier once you have a plan xxx
I think AmyC gives good advice and it’s definitely worth exploring your options. I had my treatment at Guy’s and it’s true that lots of their resources are shared with Kings, and other London hospitals, meaning you have access to lots of different experts, trials and other things like support groups and even the workshops that Breast Cancer Now runs (it was Breast Cancer Care during my treatment).
One thing I would say is that although Sutton is not that far away, once you get into the treatment programme, the appointments can often start coming thick and fast, especially if you have radiotherapy which can be every day for three weeks or longer. Maybe you might want to consider factoring in extra travel versus having an alternative close by. Especially in the current situation with Covid if there is the need to use public transport.
Personally I am somewhat biased about Kings as I’ve always had excellent experiences there and indeed, back in 2007, a wonderful (non-Cancer) team saved my husband’s life. It is a top class facility I’ve always really appreciated having on my doorstep. We are so lucky in this part of the country to have so many great facilities at hand.
Anyway, that’s my two penneth. Keep us posted with how you get on. Lots of fantastic support on this site that really helped me through my treatment. It all seems hugely daunting at this early stage but it will get easier as your treatment plan starts to fall into place.