| | Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,912 Likes: 52 OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) |  OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,912 Likes: 52 | ND = neck dissection, (mostly lymph node removal but may include removal of other fatty tissues and musculature).
Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2010 Posts: 5,260 Likes: 3 "OCF Canuck" Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | "OCF Canuck" Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Dec 2010 Posts: 5,260 Likes: 3 | From reading what you wrote your hubby did have a neck dissection. Good luck with everything. I'm not into overkill, but a scan doesn't hurt, might help, so why not?
Cheryl : Irritation - 2004 BX: 6/2008 : Inflam. BX: 12/10, DX: 12/10 : SCC - LS tongue well dif. T2N1M0. 2/11 hemigloss + recon. : PND - 40 nodes - 39 clear. 3/11 - 5/11 IMRT 33 + cis x2, PEG 3/28/11 - 5/19/11 3 head, 2 chest scans - clear(fingers crossed) HPV-, No smoke, drink, or drugs, Vegan
| | | | | Joined: Jul 2011 Posts: 945 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: Jul 2011 Posts: 945 | ND stands for neck dissection, which is what they call the removal of lymph nodes (such as your husband had) as well as more radical procedures involving the removal of other bits. Neck dissection is, as my husband termed it, an 'unfriendly' turn of phrase, and I think they just described it as removal lymph nodes (also technically correct).
CG to husband - SCC Tonsil T1N2M0 HPV+ Never Smoker
First symptoms 7/2010, DX 12/2010
TX 40 IRMT (1.8 gy) + 10 Cetuximab
PET Scans 6/2011 + 3/2012 clear, 5 year physical exam clear; chest CT's clear of cancer. On thyroid pills. Life is good.
| | | | | Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 | ND means "Neck Disection.
PET/CT's are reportedly 98% accurate. Recent healing can give false readings as others have mentioned. Since the scan has the advantage (over a plain PET) to locate regions of interest with great accuracy, because of the CT aspect, I would think that the doctors would ignore the areas where healing is happening and simply look for metastasis elsewhere. The NCCN Oncology Practice Guidelines do not recommend post Tx PET or PET/CT scans, although some institutions routinely order them. My CCC recommended an annual MRI.
Early scans of any type, particularly post Tx, will show all kinds of regions of interest so don't freak out (if you get the raw scan report) before its interpreted by your team.
When I was being set up for radiation, I got all 3, pre Tx, PET, CT and MRI. They needed them to plan the radiation treatment protocol.
My PET scan was a full body scan.
3 months, post surgery, is not that close. Some here have have PET scans 3 weeks post surgery. He still may get false positives at the surgical site, as the uptake in sugar (and radioisotope) is very similar to the uptake from a tumor.
If it were me I want want to know the "risks and benefits" of the scan and why the RO is ordering it, before simply refusing it. Tongue cancer tends to be more aggressive so extra vigilance is in order.
Gary Allsebrook
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Dx 11/22/02, SCC, 6 x 3 cm Polypoid tumor, rt tonsil, Stage III/IVA, T3N0M0 G1/2
Tx 1/28/03 - 3/19/03, Cisplatin ct x2, IMRT, bilateral, with boost, x35(69.96Gy)
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"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
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