My Head & Neck surgeon NEVER orders scans (it's just not their thing - it'a the MO's and RO's that order the scans)- prefering to palpate my neck instead and look with mirrors and tongue depressors.

I have had an ongoing debate with my oncologist over this and since I am more concerned about distant mets at this point. Local MRI's and grainy chest x-rays aren't cutting it for me. I want to know what's happening in the liver, kidneys, lungs and brain. At this point, with a 5% recurrence risk at the original tumor site, I ALMOST consider these followups a waste of time (at 3 years out) -although I have no intention of foregoing them.

I firmly believe in the PET/CT and I have read as high as 98% accuracy. Of course this does require a somewhat skilled reading radiologist and not some technologist fresh out of Western Career College. Back to the mantra - go to a CCC! As Gail said, it is merely one small component in the entire diagnostic workup anyway.

Daryl, it is true that PET's alone are not as accurate (especially with no points of reference afforded by the CT part of it), do result in more false positives, and will require a CT ot MRI (spiral CT for the lungs is the gold standard). Too soon to freak out.

The impression I get from my HMO is that "hey we cured" you and anything after that - you're on your own. Oh we'll do do diligence in the original tumor site, that we got that right (probably so you -or God forbid, your estate)won't sue us but if there is a distant metastesis from it - oh well. It's all about money... They make more money on Viagra and Minoxodil anyway...

PS I failed all of my early MRI's and I'm fine now (at least today anyway)