I finally got some good news

jcruz

Last Tuesday I had a surgical biopsy as a follow-up to my first post-treament PET scan.  The scan had shown a very small area with an SUV of 6.6, high enough to need the biopsy.  Well, my surgeon told me today that my pathology results show no residual cancer.  I feel like I can breathe again!

mp327

jcruz

That is wonderful news and I'm sure a great relief!  My first post-treatment PET scan had an SUV of over 7, so I was as jumpy as a cat on a hot tin roof, but it turned out to be radiation damage, radiation still working, or inflammation.  I'm glad you got the all clear and may that continue for you!

torrance

jcrruz

doin' a happy dance for you!

Angela_K

GREAT news!

How nice it is to B R E A T H E! 

I think a celebration is in high order!

islandgirlculebra

I'm sure your shoulders feel

I'm sure your shoulders feel so much lighter now...... So happy for your good results...... 

Marynb

Jcruz
That is good news! Congratulations! I did not have post treatment scans. What is SUV? Just curious.

jcruz

Marynb said:

Jcruz
That is good news! Congratulations! I did not have post treatment scans. What is SUV? Just curious.

SUV

I hope I can answer this.  Anyone else please chime in if I'm not stating this well.  

SUV = standardized uptake value. A PET scan involves an injection of radioactive glucose.  Cancer cells are attracted to glucose and rapidly synthesize it.  The scan shows where the cancer is because the areas with the synthesized glucose "light up" in the imaging.  Other factors that can cause an area to light up are infection, inflammation or residual radiation.  Any SUV above 2.5 (I think - someone correct me if I'm wrong) might be considered to be abnormal. My tumor had an SUV of 22.1 - I think of it as lighting up like Las Vegas neon.  Now I know that I have some scar tissue that has an SUV of 6.6, probably from radiation.  The scan was done about 6 weeks after my last radiation treatment.  At the time my medical onc. scheduled the scan I had no idea what to expect and now understand why my radiation onc. wanted to do the scan in January instead of December.  It's likely the scan results could have been different 10-12 weeks post-treatment.

mp327

jcruz said:

SUV

I hope I can answer this.  Anyone else please chime in if I'm not stating this well.  

SUV = standardized uptake value. A PET scan involves an injection of radioactive glucose.  Cancer cells are attracted to glucose and rapidly synthesize it.  The scan shows where the cancer is because the areas with the synthesized glucose "light up" in the imaging.  Other factors that can cause an area to light up are infection, inflammation or residual radiation.  Any SUV above 2.5 (I think - someone correct me if I'm wrong) might be considered to be abnormal. My tumor had an SUV of 22.1 - I think of it as lighting up like Las Vegas neon.  Now I know that I have some scar tissue that has an SUV of 6.6, probably from radiation.  The scan was done about 6 weeks after my last radiation treatment.  At the time my medical onc. scheduled the scan I had no idea what to expect and now understand why my radiation onc. wanted to do the scan in January instead of December.  It's likely the scan results could have been different 10-12 weeks post-treatment.

jcruz--

Your experience mirrors mine.  My med onc ordered my first post-treatment PET scan for approximately 6 weeks after my last radiation zap, against the wishes of my rad onc.  My rad onc thought it was too soon and would come back showing activity in the tumor area due to the reasons you mentioned.  He would have preferred a scan in 3 months.  I was upset when it came back with an SUV of over 4, but it was determined to be radiation still present.  I, too, believe my results would have been different if the scan had been delayed.

Marynb

Jcruz
Thanks for that information. I have had so much radiation at this point, that if they did do a scan, My whole body would probably light up!

Glad you got such good news!