This is a very difficult situation, and I think that the other posters have already done a great job of answering your questions.

But the one thing that stands out to me, is that there is no comment that you mother was seen yet by anyone from radiation. This makes me wonder if she got this far seeing doctors at UCI with no tumor board being convened in the hospital to discuss her case and make a group recommendation as to how she should be treated and what is the best treatment course for her.

Clearly you are talking to several different surgeons, and given that, I can see why you are getting surgical solutions to the problem. When most of us went thorough major treatment, we had our case reviewed by doctors of all cancer disciplines before anyone told us what to actually do. When as a group, doctors from different training come up with a treatment plan, it is usually some combination of al their therapeutic skills, not a singular approach ( though your mothers case may be unique). I would just confirm with one of the doctors that her case has been reviewed by a tumor board, and I would make sure that the radiation oncologists opinions are being considered in any final plan. I don't think there is a way for a surgeon ( or even a radiation oncologist) to know for sure that if you have radiation that it will come back, and I find that comment odd for him to make, unless he has already reviewed the case with the radiation oncologist who does not feel that radiation would be curative.