CT's vs MRI's, etc.

zahalene
zahalene Member Posts: 670
edited March 2014 in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1
A friend was diagnosed with NHL in Feb of '09. She has had tumors show up in brain, lungs, and near her heart. Chemo has apparently removed all known tumors at the present time. Her onco wants to discontinue treatment, but of course she is worried.
My question is....
what tests should she be asking for on a continuing basis? Are CT's or MRI's more efficient at detecting and tracking new tumors? Are there other methods for finding tumors that may be lurking?
Any input would be appreciated.

Comments

  • yesyes2
    yesyes2 Member Posts: 591
    #2
    Follow Up
    Hi Zahalene,

    You have come to the right place for assistance. You did not say which type of lymphoma your friend has, NHL or Hodgkins, or the sub type as there are many. Follow up scans and blood work can be different for the various forms. Pretty much blood work every several months or so including a cbc, blood chemistry and ldh are very standard. The first year after treatment the scans used are Pet/CT or full body CT. My onc does Pet/CT as first scan after remission and if clean follows every 4 to 6 months with a CT until first anniv. Than CTs every year. MRI scans are not usually used on diagnosis and follow up of lymphoma as I do not believe they are good at detecting enlarged lymphnodes. BMB are not generally done after treatment but depending on treatment used some oncs do do them. What type of follow up is your friend Onc wanted to do?

    I hope I have been of help to you. Best of luck to your friend, she certainly has a very good friend in you.

    Blessings,
    Leslie
  • dixiegirl
    dixiegirl Member Posts: 1,043 Member
    #3
    Hi Zah
    Sorry to hear about your friend, but lymphoma is very treatable. With my onc, he trusts me. Says I know my body very well. At this point he doesn't plan to do more scans until I tell him I don't feel right. For follow up scans I get PET/CT. Pet scans are what show the uptake. He is trying not to expose me to unneccesary radiation. Each PET scan is equivalent to 250 chest xrays and CT's are equivalent to 200 x rays.

    Has she done any rituxan maintenance? Rituxan works for quite a while after treatment stops. With my last relapse I started maintenance April 1st this year and will do every other month for about 2 years.

    As long as she pays attention to her body, looking for weight loss, night sweats, fatigue etc she should be fine. I know it's scary to stop treatments, but we know about fear don't we?

    Take care, and it's very good to see you here!
    Beth
  • zahalene
    zahalene Member Posts: 670
    #4
    yesyes2 said:

    Follow Up
    Hi Zahalene,

    You have come to the right place for assistance. You did not say which type of lymphoma your friend has, NHL or Hodgkins, or the sub type as there are many. Follow up scans and blood work can be different for the various forms. Pretty much blood work every several months or so including a cbc, blood chemistry and ldh are very standard. The first year after treatment the scans used are Pet/CT or full body CT. My onc does Pet/CT as first scan after remission and if clean follows every 4 to 6 months with a CT until first anniv. Than CTs every year. MRI scans are not usually used on diagnosis and follow up of lymphoma as I do not believe they are good at detecting enlarged lymphnodes. BMB are not generally done after treatment but depending on treatment used some oncs do do them. What type of follow up is your friend Onc wanted to do?

    I hope I have been of help to you. Best of luck to your friend, she certainly has a very good friend in you.

    Blessings,
    Leslie

    Many thanks, Leslie, for the
    Many thanks, Leslie, for the valuable information. I will talk further with my friend and obtain more details on her situation. I am a breast and bone survivor myself, but have no clue where NHL is concerned. It's all about networking isn't it? Thank God for CSN!
  • GalacDad
    GalacDad Member Posts: 40
    #5
    Ct
    Zahalene,
    Like the others here, all my follow-ups are done by ct. Right now I am at 1 per year with check-ups every 6 months. The ct w/contrast gives them a better picture of what is going on with all the vessels. I would not have your friend ask for any on a continuing basis, but let the Onc decide on type/frequency. They should track the type and amount, because too many can lead to other problems popping up.
    The Oncs I see always stay with a battery of blood work and whole body physical exam. If they have any concerns they refer me for an update ct.
    Let your friend know we have been there also. After treatment was over I would worry over every bump and sneeze, but that was me fighting against what I had just gone through the past year.
    Keep in touch
    Dave
  • zahalene
    zahalene Member Posts: 670
    #6
    dixiegirl said:

    Hi Zah
    Sorry to hear about your friend, but lymphoma is very treatable. With my onc, he trusts me. Says I know my body very well. At this point he doesn't plan to do more scans until I tell him I don't feel right. For follow up scans I get PET/CT. Pet scans are what show the uptake. He is trying not to expose me to unneccesary radiation. Each PET scan is equivalent to 250 chest xrays and CT's are equivalent to 200 x rays.

    Has she done any rituxan maintenance? Rituxan works for quite a while after treatment stops. With my last relapse I started maintenance April 1st this year and will do every other month for about 2 years.

    As long as she pays attention to her body, looking for weight loss, night sweats, fatigue etc she should be fine. I know it's scary to stop treatments, but we know about fear don't we?

    Take care, and it's very good to see you here!
    Beth

    Hi Dixie! I posted a reply
    Hi Dixie! I posted a reply (I think) to your post above, but it didn't show up....so if this is a repeat, sorry.
    Just wanted to say thanks for your valuable input. As you know, I am a breast and bone survivor, but have no clue about NHL. Thank God for CSN and the wonderful people here like you who take time to offer love and support. I am comforted by what you said and I know my friend will be too.
    Hugs. Hope all is well with you!
    Barb
  • zahalene
    zahalene Member Posts: 670
    #7
    GalacDad said:

    Ct
    Zahalene,
    Like the others here, all my follow-ups are done by ct. Right now I am at 1 per year with check-ups every 6 months. The ct w/contrast gives them a better picture of what is going on with all the vessels. I would not have your friend ask for any on a continuing basis, but let the Onc decide on type/frequency. They should track the type and amount, because too many can lead to other problems popping up.
    The Oncs I see always stay with a battery of blood work and whole body physical exam. If they have any concerns they refer me for an update ct.
    Let your friend know we have been there also. After treatment was over I would worry over every bump and sneeze, but that was me fighting against what I had just gone through the past year.
    Keep in touch
    Dave

    Thank you, Dave
    I (and my friend I am sure when she reads this) am beginning to breathe easier. I have been a survivor for 24 years and, like you, still have a brain-freeze of momentary terror every time a hang nail appears. But then I take a deep breath and remember that 'all I have seen teaches me to trust God for all I have not seen'. (Somebody famous said that, sorry I can't give them proper credit...blame it on chemo brain...I still carry THAT card after all these years...lol). Take care and thanks again.
  • zahalene
    zahalene Member Posts: 670
    #8
    GalacDad said:

    Ct
    Zahalene,
    Like the others here, all my follow-ups are done by ct. Right now I am at 1 per year with check-ups every 6 months. The ct w/contrast gives them a better picture of what is going on with all the vessels. I would not have your friend ask for any on a continuing basis, but let the Onc decide on type/frequency. They should track the type and amount, because too many can lead to other problems popping up.
    The Oncs I see always stay with a battery of blood work and whole body physical exam. If they have any concerns they refer me for an update ct.
    Let your friend know we have been there also. After treatment was over I would worry over every bump and sneeze, but that was me fighting against what I had just gone through the past year.
    Keep in touch
    Dave

    BTW, Dave. I see you're
    BTW, Dave. I see you're relatively new here. May I recommend our chat room for lots of love and support if you have not tried it already? We have lots of fun there, and even deal with the 'C' word on occasion. :)
    Hope to see you there!
  • GalacDad
    GalacDad Member Posts: 40
    #9
    zahalene said:

    BTW, Dave. I see you're
    BTW, Dave. I see you're relatively new here. May I recommend our chat room for lots of love and support if you have not tried it already? We have lots of fun there, and even deal with the 'C' word on occasion. :)
    Hope to see you there!

    Invite
    zahalene,
    Thanks for the invite. I will diffently check it out.
    Dave

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