Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
#44580 02-21-2005 01:02 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 16
tracey Offline OP
Member
OP Offline
Member

Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 16
question will xrays to the head and neck start to affect inside of mouth ? ive had 9 xrays in the last 2 months. 5 of them in the last week and a half. on feb 11 had mri. feb 14 had 2 ct scans 1 with die 1 without.feb 18 had teeth xrayed 1 picture. today had xrays to head and neck 4 pictures.

#44581 02-21-2005 01:06 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 16
tracey Offline OP
Member
OP Offline
Member

Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 16
1 more thing have not started treatment. probably tommorrow or wed.

#44582 02-21-2005 02:21 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 541
"Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Offline
"Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)

Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 541
tracey, I wonder why you have so many x-rays within such a short time. I don't know what the definition of x-ray is. In my experience, I had x-ray to my teeth and x-ray to my lungs before treatment. As for the head and neck area, I had ultrasound scan, MRI and CT scan. Your doctors should have a detailed record of what tests you have and they are the best people to answer your question.

Karen.


Karen stage 4B (T3N3M0)tonsil cancer diagnosed in 9/2001.Concurrent chemo-radiation treatment ( XRT x 48 /Cisplatin x 4) ended in 12/01. Have been in remission ever since.
#44583 02-21-2005 03:44 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,552
Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Offline
Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)

Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,552
I agree with Karen that seems like a lot of x-rays. Typically one would receive a full mouth x-ray to check the condition of your teeth (a panorex) maybe some additional bitewings (from the dental perspective) an MRI (which is not an x-ray) and possibly a PET (which is also not an x-ray but does involve a very minute amount of a radioisotope) for triage and/or diagnostic purposes. A CT for radiation therapy planning, and a chest xray as a benchmark. They may have had to repeat some studies because they didn't position you correctly or needed a slightly different angle or perspective. Then they will do a C-arm x-ray for determining best angles of attack with the mask and a x-ray simulation of the treatment protocol on the LINAC.

All of this being a drop in the bucket compared to the x-ray levels you will receive in therapeutic radiation (RT).


Gary Allsebrook
***********************************
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)
________________________________________________________
"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
#44584 02-21-2005 06:53 PM
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,384
Likes: 1
Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Offline
Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)

Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,384
Likes: 1
Tracey, I don't think the x-rays you have had would affect the inside of your mouth. The amount of energy used to make that kind of picture is relatively small. You should mention the number of x-ray pictures you have had each time someone wants to take more.


Mark, 21 Year survivor, SCC right tonsil, 3 nodes positive, one with extra-capsular spread. I never asked what stage (would have scared me anyway) Right side tonsillectomy, radical neck dissection right side, maximum radiation to both sides, no chemo, no PEG, age 40 when diagnosed.
#44585 02-21-2005 10:12 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,552
Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Offline
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
***********************************
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)
________________________________________________________
"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
#44586 02-22-2005 05:43 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,552
Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Offline
Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)

Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,552
Tracey I posted this elsewhere but it's a pretty good summary of what to expect:

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/c...eal_cancer_diagnosed_60.asp?sitearea=cri

Congrats on being able to get IMRT. Several of us have had it and had very satisfactory results. It's no walk in the park but you can expect a pretty complete recovery. Just take it one day at a time.


Gary Allsebrook
***********************************
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)
________________________________________________________
"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)

Link Copied to Clipboard
Top Posters
ChristineB 10,507
davidcpa 8,311
Cheryld 5,260
EzJim 5,260
Brian Hill 4,912
Newest Members
Jina, VintageMel, rahul320, Sean916, Megm37
13,103 Registered Users
Forum Statistics
Forums23
Topics18,166
Posts196,921
Members13,103
Most Online458
Jan 16th, 2020
OCF Awards

Great Nonprofit OCF 2023 Charity Navigator OCF Guidestar Charity OCF

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5