cart before the horse?

vinny59
vinny59 Member Posts: 1,036 Member

Hello, I'm new to this board, but not to this web site, I'm a two time cancer survior. This site has always proven to have insight so I'm hoping someone can help us. My Brother in law just had surgery to remove an enlarged testicle. The biopsy came back postive for cancer. What confuses us is that the urologist wants to do major surgery to remove lypmnodes. He has not refered my brother in law to an oncolgist nor has he scheduled a PET scan. He has not staged the cancer yet either which I find odd. All his bloodword, Ct scans and chest xrays before his surgery came back normal. His doctor did say it was a rare form of testicular cancer. Is this normal to schedule surgery without doing a PET scan? 

Comments

  • tenzil
    tenzil Member Posts: 4
    riding along

    Hi, Vinny:

    Just wanted to share, but I think normal can be hard to gauge. Bottom line, it doesn't hurt to ask the doctor again or another doctor for a 2nd opinion.  I went from surgeon to oncologist.  The only time I saw a urologist was when there was a question about my kidney.

    After my non-seminoma was removed, I had a CT, PET scan, & MRI  (which were normal except for kidney).  I didn't see my blood results ( another gripe about info available to patient ) but years later, my oncologist said the tumor markers were there.

    Besides the urologist, talk to surgeon, then seek an oncologist.  There may be a reason.  It took the radiologist to explain to me why I'm on my current treatment (2nd cancer).  Google is both friend & foe.  :)

    Good luck!

     

  • vinny59
    vinny59 Member Posts: 1,036 Member
    tenzil said:

    riding along

    Hi, Vinny:

    Just wanted to share, but I think normal can be hard to gauge. Bottom line, it doesn't hurt to ask the doctor again or another doctor for a 2nd opinion.  I went from surgeon to oncologist.  The only time I saw a urologist was when there was a question about my kidney.

    After my non-seminoma was removed, I had a CT, PET scan, & MRI  (which were normal except for kidney).  I didn't see my blood results ( another gripe about info available to patient ) but years later, my oncologist said the tumor markers were there.

    Besides the urologist, talk to surgeon, then seek an oncologist.  There may be a reason.  It took the radiologist to explain to me why I'm on my current treatment (2nd cancer).  Google is both friend & foe.  :)

    Good luck!

     

    Thanks so much for the

    Thanks so much for the response, I will pass this on to my brother-in -law