 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 | I forgot to mention that it's also pretty standard for them to do a series of head & neck scans with and without contrast. All mine have been that way. It is also typical to get a CT in mid-treatment to evaluate and make tweaks to the RT programming.
Typically also you will receive your "lifetime dose" of radiation during RT so many doctors recommend an annual MRI as the followup scan of choice. It is recommended by the NCCN oncology practice guidelines that H&N patients receive annual chest x-rays. Some people receive an annual PET or PET/CT as well.
As Mark said, the risk from diagnostic x-ray is very small.
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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