did your doctors check other areas of your body for cancer with scan etc. mine has not..

Maybe you should get a second opinion.
Once I was diagnosed with breast cancer, my surgeon ordered a CAT scan and a bone scan. I think those test are part of the process to determine the stage of your cancer but I could be mistaken. You should never feel like they just blow you off and if you truly feel that way, maybe you should blow them off and go somewhere else.

janie560 said:

Since i have kaiser i am not
Since i have kaiser i am not able to go somewhere else.

I agree you should feel
I agree you should feel comfortable with what your doctor has planned. If you are not able to go somewhere else I would push to have more ordered. My doctor ordered a PET scan, CAT scan, and bone scan. I can't remember which test it was found, but there was a tumor on my spine found that thankfully turned out to be benign. By no means am I trying to scare you, as I'm sure it is not common to find other things, I just think it's good to get checked out before treatment to put your mind at rest.

Hugs!

Julie

Are you saying you've had no
Are you saying you've had no scans done - no CT, MRI, bone, PET at all? Or that you've hac no scans since the end of TX? (I looked at your profile but there is no info there about your DX or TX.)

Fo me, in the 17 days between DX and starting Chemo I had had a bone scan, CAT, MRI, PET and an EEG/EKG. Had also had a biopsy done on an areas along my jaw that had "lit up" on the PET but nothing showed in the biopsy.

Different Drs have different ideas but all my Drs say that unless there is something possible 'going on' there is no reason for random scans. So far in the 2 yrs since starting Chemo I've had 3 scans. Rads Dr wanted a CT one done after Chemo and before I started Rads, a year ago I developed horrendous headaches that even Oxicodone would not ease (Dex did though) so I had a head/body (not legs) MRI, pain in my back got worse (I have arthritis in upper back) so had a bone scan to rule out possible mets - none.

Remember that every scan you have done is subjecting your body to more radiation that isn't good to have unless it's necessary.

Kaiser too
My oncologist said it is up to me but she prefers to not do scans unless there are symptoms. She gave me a sheet from the American College of Oncologist that says they are not recommended.
I spoke to a radiologist I work with and she thought that was sound advise. If I change my mind I will ask for scans. For now, I am happy with all the rest of my oncologist plans so I will go with this.

Cindy

I did have a CT prior to TX for staging but that was it.

What's Your Dx?
When I had a lumpectomy with no lymph nodes involved, I didn't have any scans. This time, with lots of little tumors in my breast, a mastectomy, and four positive nodes, I had a bone scan and a PET scan. It was supposed to be a CT but I am allergic to contrast dye, so they switched me to a PET scan. Bones are one of breast cancer's favorite places to migrate to, so they weren't terribly concerned about the second scan and I had to push to substitute the PET when they realized the CT wouldn't work out. Now, with treatment almost finished, I am negotiating for follow-up scans.

So if you have what I used to call "happy cancer," no lymph nodes and no mastectomy, it may be reasonable not to do scans. Beyond that, I would certainly like to know if it has metastasized. But they may have a reason why they don't think so, in your particular case.

fauxma said:

Janie,
I read on another
Janie,
I read on another post that you had a 1.1 cm lump, no nodes involved and are er+. I think in most caess that PET scans etc. are not routine for your diagnosis. My diagnosis was almost identical to yours and I had no scans either. I know you are with Kaiser and you said that you cannot go somewhere else. I am with Kaiser also and I know that you can ask for another onc, doctor, etc at any time. Maybe another onc will not make you feel like you are being blow off. My sister is with Kaiser also and had a more advanced cancer and she had MRI and PetScan etc. She was not happy with that onc and she asked for another one and is very happy with her. The first onc ordered the scans so that is not why she changed. She just didn't feel she connected with the first one. So there are choices you can make. I also read on your other post about not wishing to use the inhibitors because you are concerned about side effects. I am on arimidex and have had none. What you might consider is starting them and if you have problems you can always discontinue them? I think that what they offer usually (not always of course) outweighs most of the side effects. you can make a more objective decision if you give them a chance. But the bottom line is taking these is a personal decision. Hope this has helped. There are so many different treatments and followups and you need to be comfortable with what you feel is being done.
Stef

Depends on what kind you have
Like everything else I think it depends on stage, grade, type, etc. For Stage 1, low grade cancer, I don't think "they" feel it's warranted as the risk of it having metastasized is small. Lab work (liver, kidney function, etc.) is all I have every 4 months and I've come to terms with myself on that and decided that's a good thing.

Same for my endometrial cancer. If it had been higher grade, stage, or type, I would have had scans prior to surgery and would probably have them regularly. I have exams every 4 months for that, just like my breast cancer. I wonder if my gyn oncologist looks at my labs that the med onc orders or if he just figures she'd let him know if something was amiss. Or if he even thinks about it. He's only interested in my vaginal cuff because that's where endo cancer often recurs.

Because both of my cancers were primary cancers diagnosed at the same time, I have asked about scans, because I wonder "where else do I have cancer?", but I keep being assured that they aren't warranted. Since my diagnosis I have had a thyroid ultrasound because I've had nodules for about 20 years, and I had an ultrasound of some lipomas on my upper arm (same side as my BC). I'm due for a routine colonoscopy and I think we're supposed to have those more often after BC. If you have something unusual going on, it's taken a lot more seriously than prior to BC, but if you're doing fine, they seem to be more reactive and proactive.

Those of us who don't "need" scans should probably just say hallelujah.

Suzanne

ender said:

I have a great PPO
I have a great PPO insurance. Therefore, the doctors I go to "throw the book at me" when it comes to tests. Still, they did not order any scans when I was first diagnosed. No bonescan, no PET scan. My cancer was a stage I, and it seems these scans are rarely done in such circumstance. Now that I am done with surgery, chemo, and radiation I asked if my MO thought any scan made sense. She said "oh well, it does not hurt to have a baseline" and now she is ordering the PET scan. But I don't think she thought it was particularly needed. In the beginning when everything was crazy obviously no doctor thought it was needed, even though my insurance would pay for it. So it can very well be that you just really don't need a scan. That is great for you because it means there is no reason to believe your cancer has spread

I hope this was useful.

Eva

I was DCIS Stage 0
So no tests were done BUT within a few months of dx I had some stomach problems and had a CT scan.Showed nothing but a hernia.At least what I was told but later my urologist ordered a KUB and I had kidney stones and one cyst.That showed up on my CT scan but I wasn't told.NICE.

I am like others.I want as little radiation as possible BUT I've had my share of tests besides just the CT scan .The KUB has minimal radiation, my dental X rays, and I had 2 X rays on my legs when I hurt them.Different legs.So I've had enough.Strange the last leg Xray I said to the tech "I have breast cancer".OH then we will use the apron(I think what it is).Anyway to block radiation levels.Well why didn't she do it to begin with.Those emergency doctors knew I had bc and didn't tell her to use caution???? We must be our own ADVOCATE.

I did fire a urologist who insisted I get another CT scan.I wasn't doing it.Look it up on how much radiation those things have.Alarming.I found another urologist who does the KUB.Minimal radiation like I mentioned.That test shows the Kidneys, Uretha and Bladder.I had some burning in my stomach with just this little bit of radiation and don't like that.I'm ready for a ultrasound.

Lynn Smith

My Dr. said there was no
My Dr. said there was no need for scans as my nodes were negative, but my grade was a 3. I too wondered about it. I went ahead and took surgery, radiation and chemo. I will be checked for tumor markers and mammograms.I`'m 33 so I will demand I also get a sono or MRI for the breasts.

fauxma said:

Janie,
I read on another
Janie,
I read on another post that you had a 1.1 cm lump, no nodes involved and are er+. I think in most caess that PET scans etc. are not routine for your diagnosis. My diagnosis was almost identical to yours and I had no scans either. I know you are with Kaiser and you said that you cannot go somewhere else. I am with Kaiser also and I know that you can ask for another onc, doctor, etc at any time. Maybe another onc will not make you feel like you are being blow off. My sister is with Kaiser also and had a more advanced cancer and she had MRI and PetScan etc. She was not happy with that onc and she asked for another one and is very happy with her. The first onc ordered the scans so that is not why she changed. She just didn't feel she connected with the first one. So there are choices you can make. I also read on your other post about not wishing to use the inhibitors because you are concerned about side effects. I am on arimidex and have had none. What you might consider is starting them and if you have problems you can always discontinue them? I think that what they offer usually (not always of course) outweighs most of the side effects. you can make a more objective decision if you give them a chance. But the bottom line is taking these is a personal decision. Hope this has helped. There are so many different treatments and followups and you need to be comfortable with what you feel is being done.
Stef

I had a MRI and will once a
I had a MRI and will once a year. I also had a bone scan done as I was having some pain in my back. I think unless you are having a problem, your doctor probably doesn't order any more scans for you.


Hugs, Angie