An illustration · invented records
September 15 — second opinion
For Mom and her son · Prepared September 8 · 10:30 am, arrive by 10:00 · Academic cancer center, breast medical oncology
Purpose: hear a second doctor on the diagnosis and the proposed order of treatment, check what information is still missing, and leave with answers in Mom’s own words.
What Mom wants from this visit
“Please explain what happens next and why. Let me finish my questions. I want my children to help me keep track, but I want to hear the answers myself.”
— What matters to Mom, September 8
The short version
- August 26: biopsy showed an invasive breast cancer, grade 2, about 1.8 cm. Lymph nodes looked normal on ultrasound. Biopsy report
- September 2: the addendum: ER positive, PR positive, HER2 negative. Addendum
- September 3: first oncology visit. Surgery first; treatment after surgery to be decided on final pathology; anti-estrogen pills expected; no body scans recommended at that visit. Visit summary · Our notes
- September 8: the “test on the tumor” is the Oncotype DX 21-gene recurrence score. Usually ordered after surgery. It has not been ordered. Portal reply
Ask these three questions
- Is surgery first the right order for Mom, and why? What would you do differently, if anything?
- Would Mom be a candidate for the 21-gene recurrence score test after surgery? What would the result change, and what wouldn’t it change?
- What are the proposed next steps, what are we waiting for, and who will contact whom?
Check before you leave
- Do you have the pathology addendum? As of September 8, the upload was received but the addendum was not yet attached to the chart. Daughter to print a copy for Mom to bring as a fallback. Transfer record · Call note
- Have the slides arrived from the hospital? (Requested September 4.)
- Write down the answers, the clinician’s role, the date, and who owns each next step. Ask where the written visit summary will appear. For questions still open, note who can help and when to follow up.
If you want the background
The research summary explains what the 21-gene test is for, what the large trials found, and which questions remain open, with sources. You can ask question 2 without reading the research first. The background is here whenever you want it.
Back to Mom’s next appointment · Add the answers after this visit