I am 1 yr out 14 months SCC stg 4 tonsil. My Doc. requested i get a chest xray since he has visually inspected me every month a CT scan could be avoided. My xray revealed no mets in lungs. I'm delighted, but am now feeling maybe i do need a more extensive review (scan). I really don't want any more radiation after getting 35. What's best practice. How much is to much.

Take Care to you all.

Chris

Well...I've had 62 radiation treatments and numerous scans. We do what we have to in order to catch a recurrance at the earliest possible moment. I have had 7 years since 1st surgery/treatment, 3 years since the 2nd. I don't know what the "guidelines" are, I just know that aggressive treatment and early detection are the keys to good health.

Thank you for your response Pandora. You are inspirational to others (newbies) with a broader perspective. That's probably the most difficult thing about this - maintaining a perspective without burning everybody out around you.

Blessings to you and keep us posted. Wish we had socialized medicine here.

chris

You don't have to burn out those around you - that is what WE are for. And - even better we know and understand because we have been there. Many of us aren't experts, but we are experienced.

I didn't mean to make too light of the issue about how much radiation you should have. It is a valid concern for alot of people, but when we have it as a lifesaving tool, I don't tend to worry about it much. I even got to have a chuckle the other day about news reports re radiation from cell phones, as I'm long past worrying about things like that!

Donna

My RO and MO typically don't order CT scans for followup, preferring MRI's instead, although I was getting an annual chest x-ray (I have doubts how worthwhile they really are but they are recommended in the NCCN oncology guidelines).

I had a brief scare and got a spiral CT a few years back, which is the highest resolution image for the lungs, but it also has the highest radiation of any scan.

Be careful what you wish for, IMO, socialized medicine is not the answer. Do we really want to have the same crappy health care system that they have in the UK or Canada? I think not. The "good" socialized medicine, like they have in Sweden, has an astronomical tax rate.

Gary,

My lung doctor is running me through the CT scanner every 6 months and I really don't like it in light of the fact I also just had stage 0 breast cancer. Would an MRI give him the info he needs. My lungs are clear except for a patch of what they hope is scar tissue from rads in 1997. I'm suffering from shortness of breath and it isn't heart related so he is trying to figure that out. What do you think?

Thanks,
Eileen

Is it a CT/PET scan? I think those are more likely to see small hotspots although I'd be wondering about all the radiation exposure myself.

Chris

I'm with Pandora on the view that getting a CT and catching any cancer earlier is so much more sensible than worrying about excess radiation. Of course I have had 97 GY of radiation when the "maximum" is 77 so I discount the risks. For what its worth, all of the studies I have seen on CT radiation causing cancer conclude: [quote]Children, younger adults and women are especially susceptible. Two-thirds of the excess cancers will occur in women, the NCI researchers say. [/quote]
Since it appears that this group does not include you, quit worrying and get the CT's you deserve since the odds are with you. Just my opinion of course.
best wishes
Charm

Here's a link (from ACR) to different amounts of radiation exposure from scans/x-rays, etc.

You should ask your doctor about the risks and benefits of CT vs. MRI images.

http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/safety/index.cfm?pg=sfty_xray

When the issue of excess radiation from follow up scans came up in one of our support group meetings, an RO told us we have had so much radiation already that we really shouldn't worry about this.

I am pretty sure at least one of the RO's that I see feels the same way.

Not what I want to hear, but they are probably right.

I understand what the RO is saying, but in practice you have already had your lifetime dose of radiation during treatment. I was advised to be careful in the sun even. I went to a CCC for Tx with one of the top RO's in the world and she doesn't recommend CT's unless absolutely necessary.