possible recurrence/help interpreting rad. report

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katienavs
katienavs Member Posts: 88 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hi,
Brief history for those who aren't familiar with my journey. I was diagnosed with stage iv colorectal cancer in June 2006 with liver metastases. I started with four rounds of folfox and avastin, five a half weeks of radiation, then a successful colon and liver resection, followed by nine more rounds of folfox. I have been done with treatment and NED for one year and two weeks.
I got the results of my latest CT on Friday. There are subtle subcapsular hepatic hypodensities right below where the previous liver lesion was removed. My doctors are telling me this could be a recurrence or it could be a "fake out." I will have a liver MRI this week so they can get a better look.
My question... has anybody here had this type of fake out? Does anybody know what a hypodensity in the liver could be other than a recurrence? I am actually doing a great job of not freaking out and waiting to see what the MRI reveals. My last CEA numbers were low and that is a very good sign for me because my tumors were CEA producing.
I have googled and otherwise researched this but I was hoping someone might have first hand experience with this.
Thank you!
Katie

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  • pamness
    pamness Member Posts: 524 Member
    #2
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    I have no experience in what you are describing - I was 3A - but my first scan post treatment was odd - showed a possible inflammed lymph node - turned out to be nothing. I wish you all the best. Scans show all sorts of odd things which they have to check out. I hope yours turns out to be nothing important.

    Pam
  • vinny3
    vinny3 Member Posts: 928 Member
    #3
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    It doesn't sound like anything definite but it is good that they are pursuing it with the MRI. Perhaps it is just some liquifying of the tissue due to the previous treatment. One thing I would suggest is to make sure the radiologist has compared it with your previous scans. Everytime I had a CT scan they would mention these spots and suggest an MRI. When I asked them to compare the scan with my previous ones they came back and said there was no change. I finally complained to one of the radiologists as they should automatically make the comparisons but weren't. Keep us informed.

    ****
  • Betsydoglover
    Betsydoglover Member Posts: 1,248 Member
    #4
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    Hi Katie -

    Hopefully it is not a recurrence. When diagnosed, I had a "hypodense" lesion on the liver. I had biopsy proven liver met. But PET lit up a different area than the the hypodense lesion seen on CT. The feeling was that the surgeon biopsied what he saw, not what showed on CT. Regardless, Chemo got rid of it. MRI (2) never showed the hypodense lesion - CT still shows it - PET negative for 30 months and no chemo for 28 months.

    So, they don't even comment on the "hypodense" lesion anymore. Hopefully, yours means nothing as well.

    Good luck,
    Betsy
  • hopefulone
    hopefulone Member Posts: 1,043 Member
    #5
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    Hi . My husband had liver resection in October. 6 weeks later we were informed that the ct showed advanced progression. After having a PET scan and an anxious month, turns out it was scar tissue which had formed. Also just got results of ct from 2 weeks ago, shows same "spots" which PET showed previously, but which showed inactivity. ONC says that his ct's will probably NEVER show totally clear as scar tissue remains and they believe some spots are benign. Don't know if this helps or not, but we learned that things are not always thankfully what we assume or intitially are thought to be .More conclusive testing needs to be done. Keep the faith. Hoping and praying it turns out the same for you and it is indeed something benign and harmless. God Bless and keep us posted.

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