| | Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) |  Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 | Velscope and Vizlite are not very accurate. They are a prescreening device only. They will indicate a pizza burn as a suspicious area. The biopsy is the gold standard.
Most H&N tumors are asymptomatic,(pain free) so most of the time pain is actually a GOOD thing - meaning that it's an infection or some other cause.
I never got a post Tx PET and it is not indicated in the NCCN oncology practice guideleines so many insurance companies will not pay for them. Post Tx PET's are somewhat controversial. some institutions do a lot of them and others none at all.
The doctor typically makes the fianl call and, in my experience, the ENT's and H&N surgeons don't like scans anyway - they prefer the manual exam, scope or mirrors with palpation. The manual exam as part of watchful waiting is SOP. My MO and RO are the ones who always ordered thwe scans. It makes sense if you consider that SCC is a disease of the squamous cells, which are any cells in the body that are exposed to air. So direct visualization is pretty effective especially for recurrence at the original tumor site, which is the most common.
My CCC wanted an annual MRI and chest x-ray done and that was it for scans. The purpose for that was checking both for local recurrence and locregional metastesis.
I still have semi-annual blood work done.
The first PET scan I had was for triage purposes to see if I was, in fact, treatable. It revealed no other uptake than in the tumor area so it was a great relief.
Last edited by Gary; 07-04-2009 02:05 PM.
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)
| | | | | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 5,260 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 5,260 | Boy could I go for a Pizza Burn about now. Even a hot sausage burn would be nice, LOL Right Christine?
Since posting this. UPMC, Pittsburgh, Oct 2011 until Jan. I averaged about 2 to 3 surgeries a week there. w Can't have jaw made as bone is deteroriating steaily that is left in jaw. Mersa is to blame. Feeding tube . Had trach for 4mos. Got it out April.
--- Passed away 5/14/14, will be greatly missed by everyone here
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