What is the best time to do a PET/ CT scan after the last Radiation treatment.

No disrespect intended
But that is a purely medical question. One which no one who currently posts here is prepared to answer adequately. That type of question is between you and your treatment team. Answers by the rest of us are completely non-medical.

Wishing you the best.

Pat

D Lewis said:

Non-medically speaking...
I had an MRI at two months and a PET-CT at three months. The MRI showed "inflamed nodes", and the PET-CT did not light up, indicating that the inflamed nodes were no longer cancerous. Your doctor is watching you closely, and will know best what to do.

Best wishes for your recovery.

Deb

It's unique to your circumstances
As the old cliché goes, everyone reacts different and we all start from different points of origin unique to our type of cancer, location, staging, pathology, and response to treatment. Has a particular followup treatment been recommended and is it dependent on any physical restriction such as condition of tissue after radiation and it's ability to tolerate surgery. What imaging test will best answer such questions and at what time interval is what the experts do best. Give us more information and perhaps someone can relate a similar scenario and course of treatment followed strictly for patient comparisons.

Historically Speaking....
The time frame between 4 - 6 months seems to give the better results without residual...but there is no right answer either professionally or non-professionally.

I've seen people on here that have had them within a few months and also out six months, some were clean, others not...

If it were an absolute for the professionals, I don't think they'd order you to have a PET knowing that it was going to show-up with residual.

And... also, "No Disrespect", but anyone can ask anything they like here... I'd presume that it's understood that you would be getting non-professional feedback.

But even saying that, I've seen better answers given here than a lot of the professionals give or are even aware of an answer, not actually going through treatment and recovery as many here have.

Best,
John

Skiffin16 said:

Historically Speaking....
The time frame between 4 - 6 months seems to give the better results without residual...but there is no right answer either professionally or non-professionally.

I've seen people on here that have had them within a few months and also out six months, some were clean, others not...

If it were an absolute for the professionals, I don't think they'd order you to have a PET knowing that it was going to show-up with residual.

And... also, "No Disrespect", but anyone can ask anything they like here... I'd presume that it's understood that you would be getting non-professional feedback.

But even saying that, I've seen better answers given here than a lot of the professionals give or are even aware of an answer, not actually going through treatment and recovery as many here have.

Best,
John

I've found the answers on
I've found the answers on here to be very informative. I'd like to read the responses on this as I too am curious about my mother's imaging after her radiation. Everyone is so different and reacts differently but I do find hearing about others on here is invaluable. Age, doctors, hospitals, other medical conditions, type of tumor, stage, etc. all play a part. That being said, I have found that doctors do things differently sometimes just based on their philosophy of looking at a particular situation or sometimes based on what their hospital has to offer. Also sometimes they base their decisions on what their tumor team memebers say, even though they would do things a little differently. I have been told these things by several different doctors. I have learned that you have to do your own extensive research (which includes hearing from other's experiences). Ultimately though you have to find a doctor whom you can trust, and rely on his/her medical judgement as to how your particular situation should be handled.

Skiffin16 said:

YES...
You are still "cooking" from the rads for several weeks after radiation has finished... It usually takes a few weeks to notice changes initially, same goes once finished...

Best,
John

Cooking

You got that right, like the frying pan on the inside. It is so marvelous how God made our bodies to heal themselves.

Hondo

Goalie said:

Agreed
No one should be afraid of asking questions but no one should be afraid of posting their experience. None of us, even a doctor who might be reading, should prescribe based on this conversation - not even my wife, DrMary!

About four inches below where I am typing it says: "The content on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Do not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition."

That said, I had scans just two months after treatment but I believe that these really were more for locating targets for the impending neck dissection than for diagnosing problems. It happened that they said that they were clean but I am pretty sure that they would not have done them then if they hadn't planned on opening me back up.

And that is my opinion based on my own experience. Doug

Five Inches Now...
LOL, I just wanted to bump you up a few more inches Doug...

Best, to you and DrM..
~John

Hondo said:

Hi meja

I my opinion the best time to do a PET is 3 to 6 months after treatment ends. Some doctors do CT’s right after and during treatment so they can keep and eye on what is happening to the tumor. Our doctors like us are all different in the way they see when a PET, MRI or C/T needs to be done, so I don’t think there is a correct time to do or not to do one.

I do a PET every 6 months because I light up the scan in the same area of my tumor; it’s been that way for 6 years now with no change. Doctor now at MD Anderson think it is just scar tissue or inflammation from so much radiation that I had.

Hope this helps and welcome to CSN
Hondo

Hondo "lighting up"
Hondo,
I am sorry to read that you have this reoccurring lighting up each PET scan - it must drive you crazy. But thanks for sharing that, because it makes me less frightened for Bob when I read it. Bob's ENT said she thought it was just scar tissue or dead cells (since this is his first PET scan post radiation.)
Meja, my husband's PET scan was 4 months post radiation.