PET scan results... need a hug!

cureitall66 said:

In agreement with the rest...

Laralyn,

I, too, am in agreement with the rest. We were told also that infections and inflamation can show on PET's. We had an area near the stomach that turned out to be a gastreo thing. Then the PET after tx showed fluid at the bottom of one of his lungs...which is common regardless of whether you had cancer or not.

I know the first response is to worry...that's only human. But, rest assured that those uptakes can be so many other things non-related to cancer. 

I also wanted to note that I never saw that nasopharangeal cancer was related to the HPV disease....found that interesting with all my research I never fell upon that information. May I ask where you got that information?

I'm sure your follow up with the doctor will have the uptake justified. Prayers for peace until then.

 

~C

 

Cureitall,

your question made me read on the forbidden internet and first time i looked up anything regarding NPC in which i am blessed to be NED from since 2000, they told me then that it was EBV and as far as me or my family can tell i never had it, so blamed it on severe case of chicken pox at 14 that caused it.  I did see that there are tests and studies being done to see if it is related to HPV and is showing to be the case in some subjects. Being a survivor i knew this was beatable but for those going through this dx now according to studies now NPC is considered in the same catagory as Hodgkins and considered one of the highly CURABLE cancers out there!  Big difference from 12 years ago when i was told rare and aggressive but i was always given good odds! Go science keep money going in 

right direction! Praise God!

Rachel

Ps Laralyn still hugging you and my arms are hurting but i wont let go till you give the good report later!

love, 

Rachel

cureitall66 said:

Curable is the answer....

Rachel,

Thank you for your response. Curable is always the answer we want to hear. I'm always happy to hear that researchers have found links/causes to cancer and have a cure in place. Research is a good thing....which brings me to my involvement with Relay For Life/American Cancer Society. I've been involved way before my loved one was dx and have always realized the importance of raising money to continue researach and find cures for more cancer types. I sure hope I live to see cures to the various H & N cancers! I will never stop trying to raise money for more cures!

 

God Bless,

~C 

What is HPV-related Head and Neck Cancer?

HPV-related head and neck cancers occur primarily in the oropharynx ( tonsils and the back of the tongue ).  Oropharyngeal cancers are more common in white men. Most head and neck cancers are caused by tobacco and alcohol use, but researchers believe that up to 80% of oropharyngeal cancers in the U.S. are due to infection with the HPV virus.  HPV-related head and neck cancer occurs in both people who smoke and those who do not smoke.

How can I get tested for HPV?

For women, annual tests done by gynecologists screen for pre-cancerous changes caused by HPV infection in the cervix.  There is similar screening for anal HPV infections as well, however; for oral HPV infection, there is currently no common clinical test used to detect previous or current HPV infection.

What should I know about HPV?

HPV is a common infection.  In 90 percent of cases, the body’s immune system is able to clear the genital and anal HPV infection within two years.  We do not know how long it takes to clear oral HPV infections, but the timeframe may be similar.  Most people will not have any health problems related to HPV infection.

~JG

Laralyn said:

Thanks again for all the support. It made a HUGE difference in how the last day or so passed for me. 

The doctor took a look with the scope and also looked with mirrors, and didn't see anything. He works in a head and neck cancer specialty office, and said the results on the PET were odd. When I asked how odd, he said he's seen hundreds of different head and neck cancers and he's never seen anything like that on a PET. He estimated the odds of it being cancer as about 1%.

He showed me the PET, and sure enough the roof of my nasopharynx had a spot the size of a dime that was lit up like a bright bulb. There was nothing on the CT--no corresponding mass. He gave me the report to take home and said we could do a biopsy if I wanted to be "really aggressive." We agreed that following up with an exam and probably another PET scan in three months is the best course of action.

It was kind of funny to see a super experienced H&N ENT specialist talking about something he'd apparently never seen before! He said it might be something called a Thornwaldt Cyst, and I'm going to research that a bit more, but from what I'm seeing now it's identifiable on CT... and there was no corresponding mass on the CT. He said it could also be cancer in the submucosal layer, but he considered that very unlikely.

So it's good news with a small dose of caution, and we'll see what happens on the follow-up exam. I decided last night that all of this happened as a reminder to take care of myself a little better than I have been... so that is what I plan to do! 

And again, thank you to everyone here!

Makes a person wonder if it's not a glitch in the PET scanner....since there is nothing to correspond with it in the CT. 

This cancer is a nerve wracking business...but if he saw nothing with his mirrors and scope, then I'd say you're probably doing just fine.

Hugs...

p

Laralyn

I am glad the Doctor is not concerned. Take another deep breath and enjoy the weekend. As to eating healthy I have a theory. You know what happens to people who eat healthy? They get sick and die anyway. Big slices of chocolate cake for everyone in celebration of no signs of the bad guy.

Jeff