CAT scan confusion

wmc

Kenny- said:

Is it after the adjuvent chemo, or after the radiation?

Is your CT/PET proposed after the adjuvent chemo, or after radiation? I still have 3 rounds of adjuvent chemo to go after my radiation to treat the NPC, I was curious when the PET scan clock would start (if it's after radiation or after adjuvent chemo).

 

For those making a decision around timeliness - personally - I would want to avoid any additional imaging that nessesary after reading the link below. I plan to request the doctors advise to delay the PET until there's confidence of GOOD and SOLID interpretation of the data without inflammatory errors. After being exposed to 3 CTs + 1 PET/CT just to get my treatment started, I think it's one too many. Here's a link around medical imaging exposure. FDA probably got involved for a good reason. 

http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20100331/faq-radiation-risk-from-medical-imaging

I would not worry

The way they do them has gotten so much better and much less radiation. I remember reading not to have more than eight in your lifetime, because that is equal to what was dropped on hiroshima. Well I have had more than eight, and the man that had one just before me was on 21 and no problems. They also say that you have a better chance of getting colon cancer if you have the lower GI to see if you have anything wrong. If I did not have the scan and they did find pollips and removed them, I would most likely have colon cancer, but I don't. So much of that information is old and thet just have to put out a warning. I have COPD stage three and some of the meds I have seen advertized on TV and thought, who the heck would ever take that with all those possiable side effects. Well, I kinda like breathing so I am the one takeing them every day and damn glad that I can. If I have a flair up and have to take antibiotics and steroids so I don't get pneumonia and the steroids warnings scarred the heck out of me. But I have not had pneumonia of had to be hospitalized for it which is about a 10 day stay in the hospital. There is times when a MRI will work and they will do that, but some things just have to be a CT to get the results. Oh I have had more than 100 X-rays also.  Thanks for the artical but you will be just fine.

Sorry I forgot to even answer your question. It is after all the Tx is done. When radiation is done you will still be cooking for several weeks so most will wait about three months or longer. 

Bill

Barbaraek

Kenny- said:

Is it after the adjuvent chemo, or after the radiation?

Is your CT/PET proposed after the adjuvent chemo, or after radiation? I still have 3 rounds of adjuvent chemo to go after my radiation to treat the NPC, I was curious when the PET scan clock would start (if it's after radiation or after adjuvent chemo).

 

For those making a decision around timeliness - personally - I would want to avoid any additional imaging that nessesary after reading the link below. I plan to request the doctors advise to delay the PET until there's confidence of GOOD and SOLID interpretation of the data without inflammatory errors. After being exposed to 3 CTs + 1 PET/CT just to get my treatment started, I think it's one too many. Here's a link around medical imaging exposure. FDA probably got involved for a good reason. 

http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20100331/faq-radiation-risk-from-medical-imaging

Timing

We were told the count for a scan begins after the last radiation tx, however...when you do adjuvant you can have side effects (mucositis, and even something called radiation recall), which may induce inflammation and thus compromise results.

We have ours scheduled 12 weeks out from the last day of radiation, but our last adjuvant produced so many side effects, I think several areas will "light up" due to inflammation.

 

Barbara

NJMOM

LumpinmyThroat said:

Early

That is quite early... your husband will still have a lot going on in his treated areas and it is unlikely that the doctors could declare treatment a success by this first scan.  However, the more data the better.  Having this scan to compare to the next one will give the docs more info about his progress.  If you're not paying out-of-pocket for it, it can't hurt. 

 

Prepare yourself mentally for what the results will be... they are likely to see tumor still hanging out in there.  It takes awhile for it to shrink away after treatment is completed.  The PET he has in three months from now will tell whether that remaining tumor is active or not. 

We found this multiple scan/waiting game difficult.  My husband's first scan showed smaller tumor areas, but we were distressed that there was tumor at all.  We anticipated being told they were gone.  We were unrealistic.  It takes time to get true results.  For us, the PET at six months was really telling.  Nothing lit up and nothing had grown.  Six months is a long time to wait, I know, but you can do it! 

Too early

We went ahead and got the CAT scan two days ago but we have adjusted our original thinking. We foolishly thought we'd have an answer one way or another as to whether all of this was successful or not. Thankfully I found this site when he just started treatment because I've gone so much more insight from people who know what they're talking about than I have from his doctors. I think now that some of the side effects are just starting to fade away, I think it makes sense that there is still so much going on inside his body from the chemo and radiation, etc, that no clear diagnosis can be had at this point. How wonderful it would be to know that the sacrifices they've had to make and all things they've had to accept along with being diagnosed with a deadly disease, are all worth it WITHOUT the wait. They say good things come to those who wait, so wait I will if I can just hear that my husband is cancer free! Thanks for helping me realize we're all in this together!