[TiffanyS]

I met with my surgeon yesterday in order to go over the results of my second CT scan and get a second opinion, as my medical oncologist told me that there were dots on my lungs and a large lymph node in my chest area, which means that my breast cancer has spread. My medical oncologist advised that the dots on my lungs showed up on my first CT scan, which was done last February, but they all thought they were post surgical, and not cancer. When I met with my surgeon yesterday, he showed me the worrisome spots on my lungs, but told me they were very small and that there’s a chance that they are not cancerous. The only way to know for sure is to perform a biopsy, which they don’t like to do as a lung biopsy is only 80% accurate. So, if it comes back negative, there’s a 20% chance that the results are wrong. I told him that my oncologist told me there was a large lymph node in the middle of my chest that she found worrisome, but he couldn’t find it. He thinks she was referring to one of the larger spots on my lung, that’s close to my center chest. He doesn’t think it’s a lymph node. When I spoke to my medical oncologist, she told me my cancer was aggressive, and that I’m a rarity, which doesn’t leave me feeling very confident, however, my surgeon doesn’t seem to think that it’s as aggressive as she thinks it is, and says with proper treatment I should be able to live a long life with cancer, as others do, and may even go into remission. I hope he’s right and she’s wrong, but I want to be realistic, and I’m not sure who to believe. For now, I’m proceeding with my treatment as planned, but I’m thinking about having another doctor look at my test results in order to get a third opinion. Have any of you been given a different opinion between your surgeon and oncologist, and, if so, whose opinions was right? Both my surgeon and oncologist are experienced and reputable, so it’s hard for me to decide whose opinion to believe in this matter.