Need an URGENT Second Opinion

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Four months ago my husband was diagnosed with bowel cancer which had spread to his lungs and possibly his liver.  After 6 rounds of chemotherapy, we were informed yesterday that although the bowel tumour and lung lesions were stable, the liver lesion had increased in size from 13mm to 27mm.

Thus whole time we have been waiting for news about eligibility for immunotherapy.  At the start we were told this would take 3 weeks, in early July this information had still not been received so his consultant confirmed he was chasing for it.  Yesterday we were told that chemotherapy wasn’t working and that they were switching to immunotherapy because the cancer he has is aggressive. We didn’t even know that the results had been received!

In our shock at the news we failed to ask several questions which we are now trying to obtain.

We want a second opinion, can anyone recommend an experienced oncologist specialising in bowel cancer? Anywhere in the UK

  • Dear TanyaN583742

    Thank you for getting in touch with us at Macmillan Cancer Support. My name is Debra and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.

    I’m very sorry to hear of your husband’s diagnosis and the difficulty you’re having. I see that you’ve joined our Carers only and Supporting someone with incurable cancer forums, I hope you’re finding these helpful.

    I’m sorry to hear that the chemotherapy is no longer working and the news you were waiting for about immunotherapy hasn’t been communicated to you properly.

    You are, of course, entitled to request a second opinion, this can be through your GP or your oncology consultant, but it’s important to remember that it may take time and could mean travelling to a different hospital.

    If you wanted to explore the private healthcare route you can try the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) website, this is a non-profit, independent site that is free for you to use that aims to help people looking for private healthcare options.

    Alternatively, you might want to see if there are any clinical trials that would be suitable for your husband.

    I hope you’ve found this information useful.

    Best wishes

    Debra

    Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

    You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts by phoning 0808 808 0000, calls are free, and lines are open 8am-8pm, 7 days a week, or you can send us an email or use webchat.