Ulcers and Tumors confused??

joy44
joy44 Member Posts: 50
We found out my husband has colon cancer last christmas they moved on him quickly removed his gallbladder and half of his right side colon , he has done some of his chemo but had trouble with blood and platlet counts going to low, so we had an other PET scan and was told he had a tumor on his intestine and pancreas, which he will need a WHIPPLE surgery. In the mean time he has had losts of pain vomiting, went in to the hospital found an ulcer in the same area as the tumor, feeding tube was placed meds were given, we came home to heal before the surgery, my husband has recieved a call from the Dr, saying now he has a ulcer not tumor???? Has this happened to anyone else?? Where the pet scan has picked up on somethinng else??

Comments

  • Buckwirth
    Buckwirth Member Posts: 1,258 Member
    PET/CT Scans
    pick up any excess metabolic activity, and they cannot differentiate between a wound (like an ulcer) and a metastasis, only a biopsy can do that.

    Your husband would not be the first to get an initial dx of a metastatic tumor, only to find out it was some other thing causing the rapid cell division picked up by the PET scan.
  • joy44
    joy44 Member Posts: 50
    Buckwirth said:

    PET/CT Scans
    pick up any excess metabolic activity, and they cannot differentiate between a wound (like an ulcer) and a metastasis, only a biopsy can do that.

    Your husband would not be the first to get an initial dx of a metastatic tumor, only to find out it was some other thing causing the rapid cell division picked up by the PET scan.

    Thank you Buck, I worry so
    Thank you Buck, I worry so much and I don't want to miss anything. I hope it ends up just being an ulcer!!