Gary posted on a ideal cycle before, but ultimately this is going to be up to your and your doctors. I had quarterly visits for the first 2 years, these were pretty much look and see, and if I had a complaint, a nose scope. At six month intervals in the first year I had an MRI and a chest CT. Starting in year three the scans bercame annual and I had my first PET. I recently had another PET at year 5 at my own request, doctors didn't think it necessary. I can tell you at the begining when things when bump in the night, I was back in the office to check out what it was... they were always small benign irritations in my mouth or throat. But in my book better early detection and safe, rather than sorry. My docs knew about how things had been missed for me in the first go around and were accepting of my paranoid requests. But as I told them, just because you are paranoid, it doesn't mean they aren't really out to get you!!!!

Hi Maureen.
I can't judge what an ideal time interval for checking is but in my case, my oncologist has just moved me to a 16-week interval now that I am almost 4 years post treatment. Before that, it was at a 3 month schedule and for the first year, it was even a monthly one as my doctor told me that my chance of recurrence was pretty high due to the advanced stage. Like Brian, my scans are now given annually and I only had PET/CT scan once last year when my blood tumor marker showed some abnormal reading. Other than that, I just have MRI,ultrasound to the neck and the abdomen and chest x-ray. At most doctor visits, I also had a nose scope which took only a few minutes. I shall have my next appointment in October and I won't expect anything abnormal.

Karen

Okay, I guess we'll see at his appointment in October. He will see his Radiologist then.Maybe he will request a ct scan or something then. I was just curious that he was a little over a year out and no x-rays or scans were being done.He just gets the scope. Sometimes I worry that since he didn't have the nodes removed like a lot of you did, he has a higher chance of recurrence since he was stage 4. His doctor said he responded very well to the chemo & radiation and he didn't need surgery so I guess they know what their doing. I hope so!!Karen,I love to read your posts since Rods cancer & tx was alot like yours!I hope he does as well as you! Thanks guys for the replies!