how to proceed

I have a close friend who has just found out she has a 12cm growth on what the doctor described as on top of her uterus.  It has not been diagnosed as cancer, but it seems there isn't enough testing going on and he wants her to make decisions without much information.  She is 37 and has not had a child yet, so preserving her fertility is very important to her.My question is this, is it normal for a gyn oncologist to want to go in and remove the growth without knowing what kind of growth it is?  I've been reading about several alternatives for Dr's to determine what it might be before operating, but he's only given her a pelvic exam and taken an MRI.  He's asked for permission to remove everything, but doesn't give her any information to help her make the decision.Any comments out there?Any referrals to good information?  At this point I feel like I'd be willing to pay for her to go outside of her insurance and get an independant opinion (she's got Kaiser and sees Kaiser Dr's.).  Obviously it needs to be removed, but the lack of testing and information is frustrating.Thanks for any help/referrals