What is a proper UPSC CT scan schedule?

Pat51

I was diagnosed with UPSC in Feb. 2011. After surgery, I was staged as stage 1B grade 2/3 (on the new FIGO charts stage 1A grade 2/3). I just finished 6 rounds of chemo and I am currently doing brachytherapy radiation. I have not had a CT since I was orginally diagnosed. I thought that I would have a CT scan after treatment to see if anything remained and was growing. My oncologist just told me that he did not want to do a CT for another 6 months, which would mean that I would not have a CT for a year. I know that UPSC is an agressive cancer and even early stages recur. I thought that a year was a long time and that the cancer could be back and growing with quite a start before anyone even knows it. I had barely any symptoms when I was diagnosed. Perhaps I am stressing needlessly. Is everyone on a once per year CT scan schedule? What does everyone elses doctor recommend for CT scans?

Pat

lkchapman

For symptoms or rising CA125
Hi Pat,
My doctor prefers to wait for symptoms and/or a rise in CA125. The feeling in the oncology community is that "catching" a recurrence early by doing routine CT's doesn't significantly increase survival rates and that the extra radiation from the scans does more harm than good. I know it's hard to sit by and do nothing though.

Laura

minniejan

lkchapman said:

For symptoms or rising CA125
Hi Pat,
My doctor prefers to wait for symptoms and/or a rise in CA125. The feeling in the oncology community is that "catching" a recurrence early by doing routine CT's doesn't significantly increase survival rates and that the extra radiation from the scans does more harm than good. I know it's hard to sit by and do nothing though.

Laura

same
Hello,

That is exactly what my doctors said when I finished chemo and brachytherapy for UPSC. I have pap smears and CA 125 every three months. No other testing unless the CA 125 rises. My second set of testing will occur in September.

MinnieJan

california_artist

I'm posting the url for the staging and follow guidelines
http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/f_guidelines.asp

Fayard

minniejan said:

same
Hello,

That is exactly what my doctors said when I finished chemo and brachytherapy for UPSC. I have pap smears and CA 125 every three months. No other testing unless the CA 125 rises. My second set of testing will occur in September.

MinnieJan

Pap Smear
I just finished chemo last week and had a n appointment today.
My onco told me that he will do pap smears and CT once a year.
Since he did one before surgery, he will do the next one next year.

Pat51

Thank you for the replies
Thank all of you for the replies. I did not realize that once a year CT scans were normal. After treatment I am worrying about what the cancer is doing in my body. I guess I just wanted some reassurance that there was presently no evidence of disease. This is a hard road that all of us are being forced to travel.

Thank you again for your replies.

Pat

Blondeandblue

Pat51 said:

Thank you for the replies
Thank all of you for the replies. I did not realize that once a year CT scans were normal. After treatment I am worrying about what the cancer is doing in my body. I guess I just wanted some reassurance that there was presently no evidence of disease. This is a hard road that all of us are being forced to travel.

Thank you again for your replies.

Pat

CA 125 TESTS

Please do not rely on only CA-125 tests for recurrence.  They are not accurate for everyone.  My cancer recurred and my CA 125 never went above 11 during that time.  When I was first diagnosed my CA 125 was extremely high upper 100s.  Recurrance only 11 which is normal.  Please do not trust it.

NoTimeForCancer

Blondeandblue - I see you

Blondeandblue - I see you joined in Dec 2009 and just posted.  Please help us understand, you are saying you have recently found out that you have a recurrence?  

pinky104

Frequency of CT scans

There is a wide amount of variation of opinions between different doctors about how often CT scans should be done.  I know when I worked in an ER, a doctor there refused to order a CT scan on a patient because it would have been her fourth one, and he was afraid that having too much radiation from too many scans could actually cause cancer to develop in that patient.  I'm 6 and 1/4 years out from my surgery, and I've had more than that due to a scare I had two or three years ago when I had abdominal pain and an unidentified mass was found in me.  I had three CT scans and a PET scan then, plus one before surgery and two in the first year and a half after surgery, and I'm still in remission.  Some doctors don't order any, some order them frequently.  Go figure.

Soup52

I've just had one CT scN

I've just had one CT scN since finishing treatment in June. I'm not sure when my next one will be. I have had radiation internal and external and my oncologist doesn't want to overdo it For reasons mentioned by others.