PET scan / Cancer spread to other parts of the body?

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lifeaftercancer2016
lifeaftercancer2016 Member Posts: 7
in Colorectal Cancer #1

Anyone's oncologist refuse to order the PET scan?  Stage 3 rectal caner in 2015...clear CT scans since then.  Now elevated CEA levels..I want a PET scan and oncologist says they are of no value.  She explained that if the type of cancer I have was to spread, it would spread in the chest, pelvis, abdomen area...has anyone had colorectal cancer that has spread to an area other than in the chest, abdomen, pelvis area?

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  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,796 Member
    #2
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    My story

    I had an elevated CEA, very unusual for me. A CT Scan was ordered, which showed NOTHING.  A PET scan was ordered, which showed a tumour. When I had that tumour ablated a week later, it was 2.2 cm.  

    A 2.2 cm tumour NOT picked up by a CT scan. The PET scan saved my life. 

    Just saying! 

    I would opt for a second opinion from another Oncologist. 

    Tru

  • zx10guy
    zx10guy Member Posts: 273 Member
    edited October 2017 #3
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    I responded to your reply in

    I responded to your reply in the CEA thread.

    As Tru mentioned and my reply in the other thread, I would talk to your GI doc and surgeon to discuss this.  They can also order a PET.  Last year when my CEA spiked, he ordered a CT with contrast.  When that came up with nothing, he initially ordered an MRI as a follow up but decided to do a PET.  This time around, the PET was ordered by my surgeon which turned up nothing.

    The only thing scary about metastatic spread is peritoneal mets can be pretty hard to pick up on scans.

  • Ucimpark
    Ucimpark Member Posts: 23
    #4
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    Husband rectal cancer

    Hi there, 

    My husband first diagnosed april 2016, CT scan showed clear since November 2016 till may 2017. After stomach pain start june this year, Dr. Order PET scan and showed that reccurent rectal cancer stage 4 with spread to his abdominal. We still fighting this monster.

    Suggestions, get second opinions, CT scan doesnt show as clear/details as PET scan. 

  • zx10guy
    zx10guy Member Posts: 273 Member
    #5
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    Ucimpark said:

    Husband rectal cancer

    Hi there, 

    My husband first diagnosed april 2016, CT scan showed clear since November 2016 till may 2017. After stomach pain start june this year, Dr. Order PET scan and showed that reccurent rectal cancer stage 4 with spread to his abdominal. We still fighting this monster.

    Suggestions, get second opinions, CT scan doesnt show as clear/details as PET scan. 

    PET scans don't show imaging

    PET scans don't show imaging details about any tumors or lesions.  PET scans measure metabolic activity.  This is why you're required to fast and your glucose level has to be in a certain range before they will proceed in doing the actual scan.  The medium used in PET scans is a radioactive isotope bound to glucose.  The principle is because cancer cells are hypermetabolic, they will uptake more glucose than any of the normal surrounding tissue.  This increased uptake is shown as a hot spot of high metabolic activity measured in units called SUV.  The higher the SUV the more metabolic activity.  The PET ordered when I was first diagnosed showed my primary tumor in my descending colon to have an SUV of 6.7.

    So PETs are just another diagnostic tool but provide very different information than an imaging technique such as CT scans.

  • beaumontdave
    beaumontdave Member Posts: 1,280 Member
    #6
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    Right to the liver, twice. I

    Right to the liver, twice. I've had a dozen PET scans, 4 in a row, after the CT scans in 2014+15. On the last four, the only thing I had to hold on too was a steady CEA, but until the third surgery[colon, liver twice] the rising CEA was a factor.....................................................Dave

     

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