PET/CT came back dirty

rmkbrad

Had my PET/CT this week, the doctors are concerened with the back of my tongue, they scheduled a biopsy under anistisia. To see if the cancer is dying or what. Then they will decide if I have another surgery. Makes me nervous if I can beat this beast.

Brad

Skiffin16

Time Frame
How long since you finished treatment...(if I remember correctly you only finished up around the end or April, first of May), sometimes (usually frequently) if the first PET is less than a few months minimum, there is a lot of residual, scarring, damage carried over from the rads and chemo....

A lot of MD's consider not doing a PET for anywhere from 6 - 12 months just for that reasoning. Some like to do one earlier as mentioned on the forum as a baseline after treatment.

Just something that you might consider before you start to worry too much.

Good Luck and God Bless,
John

rmkbrad

Skiffin16 said:

Time Frame
How long since you finished treatment...(if I remember correctly you only finished up around the end or April, first of May), sometimes (usually frequently) if the first PET is less than a few months minimum, there is a lot of residual, scarring, damage carried over from the rads and chemo....

A lot of MD's consider not doing a PET for anywhere from 6 - 12 months just for that reasoning. Some like to do one earlier as mentioned on the forum as a baseline after treatment.

Just something that you might consider before you start to worry too much.

Good Luck and God Bless,
John

I finished May 1 for my neck
I finished May 1 for my neck and May 16 on my esophagus. The doc said my tounge felt soft and good but the PET showed somthing.

Brad

debbiejeanne

rmkbrad said:

I finished May 1 for my neck
I finished May 1 for my neck and May 16 on my esophagus. The doc said my tounge felt soft and good but the PET showed somthing.

Brad

brad, it may just be too
brad, it may just be too soon. Many, many of us here have had our PET's come back dirty only to find out it was a false positive b/c it was too soon. Even tho trmnts have ended, the radiation is still in our bodies and that can make the scan show "positive" when it really isn't. Scar tissue can do the same thing. Please try not to worry about it for now, I know how hard that is, believe me. You will probably get a lot of responses like mine. Hang in there and let us know what you find out. We will be praying for you and wishng you the very best.
God Bless you friend,
debbie

stevenl

debbiejeanne said:

brad, it may just be too
brad, it may just be too soon. Many, many of us here have had our PET's come back dirty only to find out it was a false positive b/c it was too soon. Even tho trmnts have ended, the radiation is still in our bodies and that can make the scan show "positive" when it really isn't. Scar tissue can do the same thing. Please try not to worry about it for now, I know how hard that is, believe me. You will probably get a lot of responses like mine. Hang in there and let us know what you find out. We will be praying for you and wishng you the very best.
God Bless you friend,
debbie

Too Soon
Hey Brad,

I just this past Monday went through the same thing! Nothing was there and I think my Pet was done too soon. I think yours was too early also. Mine lit up in the area of the right tonsil. I'm no doc but I don't think you have too much to worry about.

Best,
Steve

Kent Cass

stevenl said:

Too Soon
Hey Brad,

I just this past Monday went through the same thing! Nothing was there and I think my Pet was done too soon. I think yours was too early also. Mine lit up in the area of the right tonsil. I'm no doc but I don't think you have too much to worry about.

Best,
Steve

Chances are-
way to early for it to be anything, Brad. Know you've been thru H---, but it's like a broken record with the first PC/CT= false-positive.

kcass

Greg53

Kent Cass said:

Chances are-
way to early for it to be anything, Brad. Know you've been thru H---, but it's like a broken record with the first PC/CT= false-positive.

kcass

Agree with the rest of
Brad,

Agree with the rest of the Gang. It sure sounds too early to me. No matter what, sending positive thoughts your way!

Greg

blonde1

Pet Scan
Brad
My husband had his first pet scan done on Thursday this week.
It also came back dirty. They told us on the phone that it was a re-occurance of the tongue
cancer that he was operated on for last November.
A lymph node has "lite up", the Dr's asst said it was like a "7" uv rating.
They removed 1/2 of his tounge and rebuilt it. He has done wonderful, gone thru chemo and radiation, just now feeling his old self, except for eating, still cannot eat yet...
then this comes up, I too am very worried, hope all of the folks on this board are right !!
Hope

rmkbrad

blonde1 said:

Pet Scan
Brad
My husband had his first pet scan done on Thursday this week.
It also came back dirty. They told us on the phone that it was a re-occurance of the tongue
cancer that he was operated on for last November.
A lymph node has "lite up", the Dr's asst said it was like a "7" uv rating.
They removed 1/2 of his tounge and rebuilt it. He has done wonderful, gone thru chemo and radiation, just now feeling his old self, except for eating, still cannot eat yet...
then this comes up, I too am very worried, hope all of the folks on this board are right !!
Hope

I hope so to.
I hope it is nothing, the physical exam for me was more positive than the PET scan. Since I am a transplant patient and I was on immosuppresants for nearly 10 year the doc's said the reoccurance of cancer is high, but I have not taken any immosuppresants for nearly 3 months. My mother told me about a spice called tumeric and that it kills cancer cells, so I have started taking it. Best of luck and god be with you.

Brad

debbiejeanne

blonde1 said:

Pet Scan
Brad
My husband had his first pet scan done on Thursday this week.
It also came back dirty. They told us on the phone that it was a re-occurance of the tongue
cancer that he was operated on for last November.
A lymph node has "lite up", the Dr's asst said it was like a "7" uv rating.
They removed 1/2 of his tounge and rebuilt it. He has done wonderful, gone thru chemo and radiation, just now feeling his old self, except for eating, still cannot eat yet...
then this comes up, I too am very worried, hope all of the folks on this board are right !!
Hope

blonde1, i'm sorry to hear
blonde1, i'm sorry to hear the news on your husband but you need to continue to hope and be positive. I can only imagine how you must feel. Fighting cancer once is hard enough w/o having to do the battle again. I am truly sorry and I will put you and your husband in my prayers with everyone else here.
God Bless you both,
debbie

Pam M

blonde1 said:

Pet Scan
Brad
My husband had his first pet scan done on Thursday this week.
It also came back dirty. They told us on the phone that it was a re-occurance of the tongue
cancer that he was operated on for last November.
A lymph node has "lite up", the Dr's asst said it was like a "7" uv rating.
They removed 1/2 of his tounge and rebuilt it. He has done wonderful, gone thru chemo and radiation, just now feeling his old self, except for eating, still cannot eat yet...
then this comes up, I too am very worried, hope all of the folks on this board are right !!
Hope

Hubby's Scan
blonde1,

wishing for the best for hubby and you.

Hope it's not a recurrence, but please keep in mind that there are many with recurrences still with us. Another site I visit has several posters who've had multiple surgeries, removing tumors as they have "appeared".

Again, I hope it works out,

Tricia02

rmkbrad said:

I hope so to.
I hope it is nothing, the physical exam for me was more positive than the PET scan. Since I am a transplant patient and I was on immosuppresants for nearly 10 year the doc's said the reoccurance of cancer is high, but I have not taken any immosuppresants for nearly 3 months. My mother told me about a spice called tumeric and that it kills cancer cells, so I have started taking it. Best of luck and god be with you.

Brad

turmeric
Hello, i have eaten turmeric in my currys for years, approx 50 yrs but i still got nose cancer. But here is a link which you may find useful. I am of the same opinion as others, ie that it is probably too soon to be talking about a recurrence. Good luck, heres the link from cancerhelp UK which is a very reputable organisation.
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/about-cancer/cancer-questions/can-turmeric-prevent-bowel-cancer

train-nut

Both Brad & Hope
Keep an eye on things but try not to be overly concerned. Two years post treatment my scans still showed suspicious tissue. There wasn't any other evidence of cancer. Now 3 years out, no more scans only scopes. As my ENT said: the technology has expanded more rapidly than our ability to fully comprehend it. Suggest you follow up on it but try to stay positive. Best of health to one and all, Rich

Clearblue

Skiffin16 said:

Time Frame
How long since you finished treatment...(if I remember correctly you only finished up around the end or April, first of May), sometimes (usually frequently) if the first PET is less than a few months minimum, there is a lot of residual, scarring, damage carried over from the rads and chemo....

A lot of MD's consider not doing a PET for anywhere from 6 - 12 months just for that reasoning. Some like to do one earlier as mentioned on the forum as a baseline after treatment.

Just something that you might consider before you start to worry too much.

Good Luck and God Bless,
John

PET CT -negative
Skiffin, dont know if u remember me.

Anyway, My wife just had a PETCT almost 3.5 months after surgery(MARH 2010) to remove scc hypopharynx, second time round.
THE pet came back "clean" except for little nodule on lung, which might be result of previouse surgery -lumbectomy NOV 2009.
Were very happy as she has Fanconi anaemia which precludes any chemo, so shes only on erbitux.

But after so much tension i cant help feeling that i should be taking xtra care.
Dont get me wrong, were happy and we deserve some rest after what shes been through but i wonder if there is any other test which could check a possible false negative?

or should i just shut up and thank G_D?
Clear.

rmkbrad

train-nut said:

Both Brad & Hope
Keep an eye on things but try not to be overly concerned. Two years post treatment my scans still showed suspicious tissue. There wasn't any other evidence of cancer. Now 3 years out, no more scans only scopes. As my ENT said: the technology has expanded more rapidly than our ability to fully comprehend it. Suggest you follow up on it but try to stay positive. Best of health to one and all, Rich

Thanks Rich
I have some biopsy's taken next week, now I am not recovering the way I had hoped. Still week and not much energy. The pain in the back of my throwt and left ear are getting worse, I don't get much sleep because of it. I hope they find somthing simple that they can fix nex Thursday so the pain will go away. My oldest son has been my hero, he helps me with everything now. I try to stay active but if I move to much after tube feeding I thow it back up. Just venting.

Brad

blonde1

train-nut said:

Both Brad & Hope
Keep an eye on things but try not to be overly concerned. Two years post treatment my scans still showed suspicious tissue. There wasn't any other evidence of cancer. Now 3 years out, no more scans only scopes. As my ENT said: the technology has expanded more rapidly than our ability to fully comprehend it. Suggest you follow up on it but try to stay positive. Best of health to one and all, Rich

Went to Dr today...Looks
Went to Dr today...Looks like my husband has a reoccurance within 2 months of completing chemo/erbutex and radiation. Tumor is now on opposite side of his neck. They did a bipopsy and a ultra sound today..They said it appears not to be involved with the the caroitod artery. Said we will know Tuesday the results of the biopsey.
I am devastated as is my husband and in shock, 2 months !!! After all of the chemo, radiation, how does this happen ?? They said it is a very agressive cancer and this does happen sometimes, not a good serinero from the Dr.'s, they are very upset also.
So............now they are talking another neck desection opposite. Don't know if he is even a candidate for more treatments a this time ! Finished treeatments in April 2010.
If we do nothing, maybe 6 months...PLEASE has anyone been thru this ?? My husband is in excellent health other than this accroding to the Dr.'s.
I am losing hope and faith....
Hope

blonde1

Pam M said:

Hubby's Scan
blonde1,

wishing for the best for hubby and you.

Hope it's not a recurrence, but please keep in mind that there are many with recurrences still with us. Another site I visit has several posters who've had multiple surgeries, removing tumors as they have "appeared".

Again, I hope it works out,

Pam
Thanks for the
Pam
Thanks for the advice...what is the other site you spoke of ??
Please read my new popst today, I am so scared mand upset....
Hope

rmkbrad

blonde1 said:

Went to Dr today...Looks
Went to Dr today...Looks like my husband has a reoccurance within 2 months of completing chemo/erbutex and radiation. Tumor is now on opposite side of his neck. They did a bipopsy and a ultra sound today..They said it appears not to be involved with the the caroitod artery. Said we will know Tuesday the results of the biopsey.
I am devastated as is my husband and in shock, 2 months !!! After all of the chemo, radiation, how does this happen ?? They said it is a very agressive cancer and this does happen sometimes, not a good serinero from the Dr.'s, they are very upset also.
So............now they are talking another neck desection opposite. Don't know if he is even a candidate for more treatments a this time ! Finished treeatments in April 2010.
If we do nothing, maybe 6 months...PLEASE has anyone been thru this ?? My husband is in excellent health other than this accroding to the Dr.'s.
I am losing hope and faith....
Hope

I am so sorry.
I am so sorry to hear the bad news, I am fearing the worst also. As I said I will have an endoscope and biopsy next week. The pain in my left ear and the back of my thought are getting to the point that I cannot function. The pain meds only work for a few hours so at night I am not getting much sleep. I pray to god that they can do somthing, I only had the tonsilectomy for surgery before starting chemo and radiation. So I will wait and see what they have to offer. Good luck and god be with your husband and family.

Brad

debbiejeanne

blonde1 said:

Went to Dr today...Looks
Went to Dr today...Looks like my husband has a reoccurance within 2 months of completing chemo/erbutex and radiation. Tumor is now on opposite side of his neck. They did a bipopsy and a ultra sound today..They said it appears not to be involved with the the caroitod artery. Said we will know Tuesday the results of the biopsey.
I am devastated as is my husband and in shock, 2 months !!! After all of the chemo, radiation, how does this happen ?? They said it is a very agressive cancer and this does happen sometimes, not a good serinero from the Dr.'s, they are very upset also.
So............now they are talking another neck desection opposite. Don't know if he is even a candidate for more treatments a this time ! Finished treeatments in April 2010.
If we do nothing, maybe 6 months...PLEASE has anyone been thru this ?? My husband is in excellent health other than this accroding to the Dr.'s.
I am losing hope and faith....
Hope

Hope, I'm very saddened by
Hope, I'm very saddened by your news and I want you to know that I will put you in my prayers. You know God has the final say in things so whatever the docs say, God will do what HE has planned. Please try to stay positive and take care of yourself as your husband is going to need you in good health to help him fight the C battle again. It will be hard, I know, but you can both do this. Don't give up faith or hope!! I and everyone else here will be pulling for both of you!!!! Please let us know if we can do anything for you.
God bless you,
debbie

debbiejeanne

rmkbrad said:

I am so sorry.
I am so sorry to hear the bad news, I am fearing the worst also. As I said I will have an endoscope and biopsy next week. The pain in my left ear and the back of my thought are getting to the point that I cannot function. The pain meds only work for a few hours so at night I am not getting much sleep. I pray to god that they can do somthing, I only had the tonsilectomy for surgery before starting chemo and radiation. So I will wait and see what they have to offer. Good luck and god be with your husband and family.

Brad

Brad, I will also be praying
Brad, I will also be praying for you. You can make it thru this, just don't give up. It is an extremely hard battle but many have come thru it and so can you. Be sure to take care of yourself so you can be strong enuf to fight. We will all be praying.
God bless you,
debbie

blonde1

debbiejeanne said:

Hope, I'm very saddened by
Hope, I'm very saddened by your news and I want you to know that I will put you in my prayers. You know God has the final say in things so whatever the docs say, God will do what HE has planned. Please try to stay positive and take care of yourself as your husband is going to need you in good health to help him fight the C battle again. It will be hard, I know, but you can both do this. Don't give up faith or hope!! I and everyone else here will be pulling for both of you!!!! Please let us know if we can do anything for you.
God bless you,
debbie

Surgery Today
Debbiejeanne

Thank you for your post.
Mickey is having surgery today at 11 am 7/20/2010 @ Univeristy of Irvine Medical Center, Irvine, Calif.
The hope is that they can remove the lymph gland that showed up on the pet scan only months after chemo and radiation finished. It is a suv of 7, they did a bioposey and it came back SCC.
They feel surgery is the way to go.
Please keep Mickey in everyone's prayers and the Doctors also.
Other than this awful thing, he is in great health, hope and pray it continues.
I am trying to be strong for him but I am a mess, so guess prayers for each of us would help.
Thank you,
Hope & Mickey