Follow-up monitoring

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DeeNY711
DeeNY711 Member Posts: 476 Member
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Can anyone tell me what follow-up monitoring they received after surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy were completed? I was specifically wondering about CT scan and bone scan? I'll be seeing the oncologist once a month and will be having labs drawn. Thank you.

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  • jeancmici
    jeancmici Member Posts: 665 Member
    #2
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    I get a mammogram every year, a chest x-ray every year at a different month from the mammo.

    I see the oncologist every three months - and probably will for the first five years - I'm two years past now. I see the surgeon once a year -same day I have the mammo.

    No CT scan nor bone scans - ever thus far. I have blood work every three months with the onco's visit.

    Once a month is frequent but no problem if you are not far away from the place.

    I had all my treatment at a comprehensive cancer center in NY state.

    Good Luck!
    Jean
  • cammie
    cammie Member Posts: 102
    #3
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    After chemo and reconstruction my follow up care is zilch. I just go every three months to get breast checks. I am on Tamoxifin and will be for 5 years (like everyone else). No CT scans, bone scans. I however will be asking my primary care physician for a bone densitiy test. Just to get a base line on it. Osteoprosis (sp) is very common in women after chemo. We are at a greater risk and should be taking lots of calcium. Anyhow my onocologist says that I am cancer free, so no test (not even blood tests) need to be done until Or if I recieve any symtoms otherwise. Feels as if you been released into the big bad world again - alone. Kinda scary. Good luck to you. I am soooo happy your finished with treatments. Yea!!!!! Take care dee. Cammie
  • hummingbyrd
    hummingbyrd Member Posts: 950 Member
    #4
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    cammie said:

    After chemo and reconstruction my follow up care is zilch. I just go every three months to get breast checks. I am on Tamoxifin and will be for 5 years (like everyone else). No CT scans, bone scans. I however will be asking my primary care physician for a bone densitiy test. Just to get a base line on it. Osteoprosis (sp) is very common in women after chemo. We are at a greater risk and should be taking lots of calcium. Anyhow my onocologist says that I am cancer free, so no test (not even blood tests) need to be done until Or if I recieve any symtoms otherwise. Feels as if you been released into the big bad world again - alone. Kinda scary. Good luck to you. I am soooo happy your finished with treatments. Yea!!!!! Take care dee. Cammie

    Probably will depend on stage at diagnosis. Mine was stage4 so I had a pretty full work up. I'll give you the run down......
    CT of lungs, abdomen and pelvis
    Mammogram every 3 months for 1 year,6 months for 1 year and now yearly.
    MRI of my brain (that was a short scan) LOL
    Bone scan
    Blood tests including complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic profile and tumor markers CEA and CA27.29
    I think that pretty well covers it. Whatever the stage personally I'd insist on the blood work at least every 6 months (if normal) and the mammograms. Hope this helps. God bless.
    hummingbyrd
  • DeeNY711
    DeeNY711 Member Posts: 476 Member
    #5
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    Thank you all so much.
  • SweetSue
    SweetSue Member Posts: 217
    #6
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    My husband's aunt who is a 30+ year survivor of breast cancer told me to make sure I get a colonoscopy every 3 years. I guess everybody, whether they've had breast cancer or not should get this test done.
    Good Luck.
    Sue
  • ryley
    ryley Member Posts: 55
    #7
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    I've had 3 sets of CT/bone scans. All negative, thank God. I will probably have more in the future. I think these are saved for the more advanced cancers, like mine. Probably depends on how large your tumor was (mine 9cm) or how many nodes were positive (8/13 for me), but maybe not. The scans don't hurt (barium tastes awful, though) and they do give you peace of mind.

    Ryley
  • DeeNY711
    DeeNY711 Member Posts: 476 Member
    #8
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    ryley said:

    I've had 3 sets of CT/bone scans. All negative, thank God. I will probably have more in the future. I think these are saved for the more advanced cancers, like mine. Probably depends on how large your tumor was (mine 9cm) or how many nodes were positive (8/13 for me), but maybe not. The scans don't hurt (barium tastes awful, though) and they do give you peace of mind.

    Ryley

    I thought that CT and bone scans were routine to monitor. My thinking is that if it does go somewhere, it is better to find it, catch it and treat it early. I had five positive nodes, a very large tumor and had the other breast removed as a precaution. Post-op, they found microscopic spots of lobular carcinoma in the "unaffected" breast to everyone's surprise. But not to mine. None of it showed on mammograms or ultrasound ...
    even the huge tumor. Did they include your head in the CT scan? Mine did not.
  • smvargo
    smvargo Member Posts: 39
    #9
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    My oncologist said chest x-ray and blood work every 3 months. I now know this is routine. Is there a reason not to have more frequent CT scans and bone scans? Isn't waiting for symptoms risky business?
  • DeeNY711
    DeeNY711 Member Posts: 476 Member
    #10
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    smvargo said:

    My oncologist said chest x-ray and blood work every 3 months. I now know this is routine. Is there a reason not to have more frequent CT scans and bone scans? Isn't waiting for symptoms risky business?

    That is exactly what my concern was as well, but I think Hummingbyrd and Ryley are right. I'll be on an alternate drug instead of tamoxifen for five years. I'll have plenty of chances during the next 7 weeks to speak with the radiology oncologist during radiation therapy, so I'll ask what he thinks. I'm starting to get comfortable with doing the radiation and the 5 years of oral medication; then possibly revisiting the CT scan/bone scan issue.

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