Mri vs ct

daisybud

Hi everyone,

I just had my first appt with medical onoc.  I am having 6 month follow ups for 2 years and yearly after that.  My question is if a MRI is as good as a ct scan for finding possible mets?  I am having mri with and with out contrast and chest xrays.  He wants to check my liver and said mri is better than ct scan to check liver.  I have a gene and I am a carrier for hemochromotosis, which basically means that I have a lot of red blood cells but luckily do not have an iron overload. If I did, yikes I would have to have blood taken out to reduce the red cells!!!  Looks like fatty liver but hemochromotosis can cause the liver to look like fatty liver.   Was just wondering if anyone else gets mri's instead of ct scans? 

Kim

foroughsh

As far as I know the best

As far as I know the best option to detect early RCC Mets is CT scan with contrast, they also choose MRI with contrast if the patient has allergy to CT's contrast or the kidney doesn't work properly. MRI has less side effect for kidney and also for the possibility of getting leukemia, but it's not as accurate as CT scan. But if n your special case it might be different, it's good to have second opinion from another onc

Forough

Srashedb

MRIs and CT scans

MRIs are good for everything except chest and lungs; the reason for that is needing to be still which is difficult for the lungs.

my husband is getting MRIs for the spine and abdomen /pelvis with CTs for the chest; he doesn't get contrasts so all of the results have the caveat yet, they have found areas that are as small as <1 cm

mris are much more expensive and take longer than CTs; when he was getting CTs (even with contrast) any questionable areas were referred for an MRI. So, why not start there? Asked the docs and now he gets MRIs

Sarah

mrou50

Daisy B

I don't know which is better MRI or CT, I get CT scans every three months.  I do know chest xrays are not good at spotting smaller METS my ONC told me that the CT gets just about everything as far as I can tell.  I would be questions the xrays though.

Mark

daisybud

Srashedb said:

MRIs and CT scans

MRIs are good for everything except chest and lungs; the reason for that is needing to be still which is difficult for the lungs.

my husband is getting MRIs for the spine and abdomen /pelvis with CTs for the chest; he doesn't get contrasts so all of the results have the caveat yet, they have found areas that are as small as <1 cm

mris are much more expensive and take longer than CTs; when he was getting CTs (even with contrast) any questionable areas were referred for an MRI. So, why not start there? Asked the docs and now he gets MRIs

Sarah

Sarah,
When I was first

Sarah,

When I was first diagnosed with CC RCC on a ct scan, I also had to have a MRI for further evaluation even before I had my partial nephrectomy. 

I will definitely ask him next appt if chest xrays are OK for lungs when getting MRI.   Maybe I can rotate CT and mri (with chest xrays) for follow-ups. This whole thing is new to me and definitely confusing . I am so very thankful for this website. Everyone is so helpful!!

Kim

daisybud

mrou50 said:

Daisy B

I don't know which is better MRI or CT, I get CT scans every three months.  I do know chest xrays are not good at spotting smaller METS my ONC told me that the CT gets just about everything as far as I can tell.  I would be questions the xrays though.

Mark

Mark
I'm def going to ask

Mark

I'm def going to ask about how good chest xrays are for picking up small stuff. He said MRI would pick up lower part of lungs. Xrays for the rest. This is already on my list of questions. 

Thanks Kim

donna_lee

daisybud said:

Mark
I'm def going to ask

Mark

I'm def going to ask about how good chest xrays are for picking up small stuff. He said MRI would pick up lower part of lungs. Xrays for the rest. This is already on my list of questions. 

Thanks Kim

Tetter totter act

After having CT w/wo contrast for nearly 3 years on a 3 or 6 month occurrence, my oncologist wanted to reduce the amount of radiation.   Because there had been mets to both the liver and lymph nodes in the abdomen and low pelvis, he changed to Chest x-ray and US of abdoment & pelvis, with only a CT yearly or every 18 mo.  That's when they caught the thyroid at the top of the CT and the enlarging nodes on the left side.  So I had more frequent tests after that.

Once you have had a couple of chest xrays that establishes what is there, it is any difference in the new ones that they use for comparison.  And a change in a 3 mo. to a 6 mo. will be noticeable.  And at nearly 10 years, I still have labs and see the onc. nurse or Dr. every 4-5 months and have some sort of test yearly.

Other than to dx a back problem, I've never had a MRI with the cancer situation.  And now that there are so many vascular clips, and some metal in other parts of my body, and MRI is contraindicated.  (the metal heats up and polarizes, trying to turn with the magnet)  The xray/US is definitely easier to go through, especially without needing the sippy cup juice.

I don't know if there is any one best answer, as we all have other conditions the doctors need to be concerned with when prescribing the tests to have.  But all you need to do is ask the questions for your situation.

**** luck and Hugs,

donna_lee

 

 

NewDay

donna_lee said:

Tetter totter act

After having CT w/wo contrast for nearly 3 years on a 3 or 6 month occurrence, my oncologist wanted to reduce the amount of radiation.   Because there had been mets to both the liver and lymph nodes in the abdomen and low pelvis, he changed to Chest x-ray and US of abdoment & pelvis, with only a CT yearly or every 18 mo.  That's when they caught the thyroid at the top of the CT and the enlarging nodes on the left side.  So I had more frequent tests after that.

Once you have had a couple of chest xrays that establishes what is there, it is any difference in the new ones that they use for comparison.  And a change in a 3 mo. to a 6 mo. will be noticeable.  And at nearly 10 years, I still have labs and see the onc. nurse or Dr. every 4-5 months and have some sort of test yearly.

Other than to dx a back problem, I've never had a MRI with the cancer situation.  And now that there are so many vascular clips, and some metal in other parts of my body, and MRI is contraindicated.  (the metal heats up and polarizes, trying to turn with the magnet)  The xray/US is definitely easier to go through, especially without needing the sippy cup juice.

I don't know if there is any one best answer, as we all have other conditions the doctors need to be concerned with when prescribing the tests to have.  But all you need to do is ask the questions for your situation.

**** luck and Hugs,

donna_lee

 

 

Radiologist opinion

I've had the same question because my oncologist stopped ordering CT's of the abdomen and pelvis last year because he said that they are useless without contrast.  I asked how we are ever going to know if it spreads there.  He said we aren't until it causes pain or other symptoms.  I've been having pain in my right side so I decided I wanted to have a CT or MRI or something, worthless, or not and he has approved them.  I really wanted to hear from a radiologist who reads the scans whether they are worthless.  I actually got to speak to one who is very experienced.  He said that he wouldn't say that they are worthless, but it can be easy to miss things.  He said that MRI's and CT's each have their own advantages and disadvantages.  MRI's are better at picking up things in the muscle but can miss other small things.  He said it would have helped if I were overweight because it helps to separate the organs or something.  He said MRI contrast is safer as long as you don't have really bad kidney failure.  My kidney disease is bad enough that I can't have CT contrast, but not so bad that I can't have MRI contrast. He also said that, with my pain being on the same side as my nephrectomy, it can be hard to distinguish scar tissue from mets.  He recommended that I start with the CT without contrast and, if anything looks suspicious, other scans can be ordered.

I did not ask the radiologist, but have been told before that chest x-rays can miss things that are picked up on CT.

Kathy

daisybud

NewDay said:

Radiologist opinion

I've had the same question because my oncologist stopped ordering CT's of the abdomen and pelvis last year because he said that they are useless without contrast.  I asked how we are ever going to know if it spreads there.  He said we aren't until it causes pain or other symptoms.  I've been having pain in my right side so I decided I wanted to have a CT or MRI or something, worthless, or not and he has approved them.  I really wanted to hear from a radiologist who reads the scans whether they are worthless.  I actually got to speak to one who is very experienced.  He said that he wouldn't say that they are worthless, but it can be easy to miss things.  He said that MRI's and CT's each have their own advantages and disadvantages.  MRI's are better at picking up things in the muscle but can miss other small things.  He said it would have helped if I were overweight because it helps to separate the organs or something.  He said MRI contrast is safer as long as you don't have really bad kidney failure.  My kidney disease is bad enough that I can't have CT contrast, but not so bad that I can't have MRI contrast. He also said that, with my pain being on the same side as my nephrectomy, it can be hard to distinguish scar tissue from mets.  He recommended that I start with the CT without contrast and, if anything looks suspicious, other scans can be ordered.

I did not ask the radiologist, but have been told before that chest x-rays can miss things that are picked up on CT.

Kathy

Kathy,
Thanks for all the

Kathy,

Thanks for all the good info and Good luck with your upcoming scan. 

 I have pain still on the side where I had the partial neph. Ill ask about scar tissue next appt.

I have gotten really good asking for information and being involved in my care and not just told what going to happen. I really like my new dr and that helps a lot. He asked kind of a job I have because I came armed with a list of questions and an envelope full of test results and cd's of all my scans.  I told him I'm type A person and need to know everything...lol

 Best wishes and hugs,

Kim

Ree_Maryland

scans

I get both every year. hope all is well with you and family.