PET scan results are in....

Dapsterd
Dapsterd Member Posts: 291
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
Family, my post-treatment PET scan results indicate still "some" small cancer activity in main tumor, however it has shrunk about 70% since day one, lymph nodes still stable.

He says get back to your "life" with no restrictions and we will monitor !! So I guess this is pretty good.

He wants to see me in two months to order EGR blood test and to review my back shoulder area for which I recently have some ongoing pain (common place for lung cancer to met.)

My SUV rating is 4 from 12.5 so this is good, but wishes it was less than that, say 2.5 was what he would like to see.

I have a 2nd opinion lined-up for Dec 10th anyway.

To you "cancer-experienced folks" here, please explain to me the SUV rating clearer as well as EGR testing.


Thanx
Love ya all....

Dave

Comments

  • NayPaul
    NayPaul Member Posts: 230 Member
    #2
    yeah...
    Shrinkage, stable, get back to your life..... those things don't sound bad at all.
  • stayingcalm
    stayingcalm Member Posts: 650 Member
    #3
    Great!
    By EGR, do you mean EGFR? If there is still tissue left from any biopsy you had, the doc can have it sent to a lab for testing, to see if you have the mutation and might benefit from drugs like Tarceva. If you meant ESR, according to Wikipedia, "It is a common hematology test that is a non-specific measure of inflammation." I still don't know what that really means ;-)

    Your news is excellent!
    Deb
  • catcon49
    catcon49 Member Posts: 398
    #4
    stayingcalm said:

    Great!
    By EGR, do you mean EGFR? If there is still tissue left from any biopsy you had, the doc can have it sent to a lab for testing, to see if you have the mutation and might benefit from drugs like Tarceva. If you meant ESR, according to Wikipedia, "It is a common hematology test that is a non-specific measure of inflammation." I still don't know what that really means ;-)

    Your news is excellent!
    Deb

    dave
    That is good news. As far as SUV that is the uptake of the stuff (that is a technical term)they inject into you for PET SCAN. This is where people think that cancer loves sugar. I believe it is a sugary substance that cancer cells kind of suck in. So the higher the SUV the more intense the cancer. I also think that 2.5 is the point where they do not consider cancer. Mine was 2.7 and was Stage 1a. But your news is TERRIFIC. And please don't quote me on any of this. STAY STRONG
  • Cindy Bear
    Cindy Bear Member Posts: 569
    #5
    SUV
    Hello. Yes that is how it was explained to me by my mother's gyn-onc. (uterine cancer) SUV stands for Standard uptake volume and it is a measurement of how much radioactive glucose cells take up, the theory being that cancerous cells are more active and will take up more of the solution. Her Dr. equated the measuring device as a sort of geiger counter and he said anything over 2.7 was considered malignant...Good luck to you.
  • z
    z Member Posts: 1,414 Member
    #6
    Cindy Bear said:

    SUV
    Hello. Yes that is how it was explained to me by my mother's gyn-onc. (uterine cancer) SUV stands for Standard uptake volume and it is a measurement of how much radioactive glucose cells take up, the theory being that cancerous cells are more active and will take up more of the solution. Her Dr. equated the measuring device as a sort of geiger counter and he said anything over 2.7 was considered malignant...Good luck to you.

    Dave
    Hi Dave, This sounds like good news to me. I know with the suv 2.5 and under is what they want. I had anal cancer previously and the last pet/ct scan showed 4.3, and the oncologist said that it was due to inflammation, as I had a previous biopsy.

    So from 12.5 to 4 is very good. I only had a ct scan for the primary lung cancer and had a lobectomy, so there was no suv since I had no pet scan. I wish you continued good results. Lori
  • hope0310
    hope0310 Member Posts: 320
    #7
    z said:

    Dave
    Hi Dave, This sounds like good news to me. I know with the suv 2.5 and under is what they want. I had anal cancer previously and the last pet/ct scan showed 4.3, and the oncologist said that it was due to inflammation, as I had a previous biopsy.

    So from 12.5 to 4 is very good. I only had a ct scan for the primary lung cancer and had a lobectomy, so there was no suv since I had no pet scan. I wish you continued good results. Lori

    Congrats on the good
    Congrats on the good report!!!

    Elysia
  • mom_of_2
    mom_of_2 Member Posts: 30
    #8
    good news
    Happy to hear the good news. Sorry I can't answer your questions though.
  • groundhog
    groundhog Member Posts: 44
    #9
    mom_of_2 said:

    good news
    Happy to hear the good news. Sorry I can't answer your questions though.

    PETscan results
    Sounds like great news Dave, after reading everyones comments it all starts to make sense to me now because I never understood the PET scans. My first (and only one so far) was determined "inconclusive", for about $6,000.00 HAHAHA. Get on with your life sounds great.

    gh

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