#61275 07-09-2007 06:37 AM | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 26 Contributing Member (25+ posts) | OP  Contributing Member (25+ posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 26 | Hi. Can anyone tell me how long after treatment the doctors usually wait before doing a PET/CT scan? Thank you.
Caretaker to my best friend, my mom. Age 60 - never smoked or drank. St IVA oropharynx. 37 radiation tx, 8 carboplatin tx. Diag 5/31/07-TX completed 8/16/07-good PET 10/10/07. Passed away 3/28/08 due to weakened blood vessels from tx. Now watching over her triplet grandsons born on 5/19/08.
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#61276 07-09-2007 08:19 AM | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 622 Likes: 1 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: May 2007 Posts: 622 Likes: 1 | Hi AMy
Mine was 12 weeks after my last radiation (IMRT) treatment. My understanding was that the radiation levels in your body have to die down to a more normal level before a PET would be useful.
Kevin
18 YEAR SURVIVOR
SCC Tongue (T3N0M0) diag 06/2006.
No evidence of disease 2010
Another PET 12-2014 pre-HBO, still N.E.D.
�Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. It matters that you don't just give up.�
Stephen Hawking | | |
#61277 07-09-2007 09:03 AM | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 666 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: May 2007 Posts: 666 | Just a correction of a misconception.
The xray treatment you get from IMRT does not make you radioactive. There is no radiation level that needs to decrease.
Instead what is happening is that your tissues are inflamed and damaged after the radiation. Since the tissue is rebuilding/healing it is metabolically more active and it would therefore show up on a PET scan. This is one reason why you need to wait before you can run a meaningful PET scan after rad treatment (also surgery). The length of time probably varies from person to person (and extent of damage). I have heard numbers like > 6 weeks after radiation being thrown around, which might still be early. In any case your RO should know how soon a PET scan can be done (insurance is an issue too).
M
Partial glossectomy (25%) anterior tongue. 4/6/07/. IMRT start @5/24/07 (3x) Erbitux start/end@ 5/24/07. IMRT wider field (30x) start 6/5/07. Weekly cisplatin (2x30mg/m2), then weekly carbo- (5x180mg/m2). End of Tx 19 July 07.
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#61278 07-09-2007 01:04 PM | Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 624 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 624 | Generally 10-12 weeks is about usual for the first PET/CT scan (the fused PET/CT is considered quite a bit more accurate than PE alone). Even so there may well be "hot" areas which show up, due to healing, inflammation, infection, etc. and not to cancer. A radiologist who sees a lot of head/neck scans can usually separate these out but sometimes there are false positives. The PET/CT is usually repeated at about 6 months to check on progress. In between there will be lots of other exams which are equally important in detremining status, including physical exams, chest xrays, endoscopes etc.
Gail
CG to husband Barry, dx. 7/21/05, age 66, SCC rgt. tonsil, BOT, 2 nodes (stg. IV), HPV+, tonsillectomy, 7x carboplatin, 35x tomoTherapy IMRT w/ Ethyol @ Johns Hopkins, thru treatment 9/28/05, HPV vaccine trial 12/06-present. Looking good!
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#61279 07-09-2007 01:52 PM | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 214 Gold Member (200+ posts) | | Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 214 | I completed treatment June 6; I had my feeding tube removed last week, and am having my scans, etc. done on August 10. So thats 8 weeks, seems a little early but I 'm sure they know what they're doing at Dana Farber
Left tonsil SCC, HPV+. T2N0M0. Tonsillectomy 3-07, bilateral radiation, cisplatin 3x, Tx completed 6-06. Clear PET 4-01-2008.
Thyroidectomy 5-9-08, resulting in permanent surgically-induced hypoparathyroidism and adrenal problems. Bummer.
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#61280 07-10-2007 06:28 AM | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 622 Likes: 1 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: May 2007 Posts: 622 Likes: 1 | I stand corrected
Thanks Markus
Kevin
18 YEAR SURVIVOR
SCC Tongue (T3N0M0) diag 06/2006.
No evidence of disease 2010
Another PET 12-2014 pre-HBO, still N.E.D.
�Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. It matters that you don't just give up.�
Stephen Hawking | | |
#61281 07-10-2007 07:28 AM | Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,627 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,627 | Amy,
Some of us have never had a PET scan. I'm four years out of treatment and I've had one CAT scan after my treatment and I have a yearly chest Xray, along with blood work. Hope this helps.
Minnie
SCC Left Mandible. Jaw replaced with bone from leg. Neck disection, 37 radiation treatments. Recurrence 8-28-07, stage 2, tongue. One third of tongue removed 10-4-07. 5-23-08 chemo started for tumor behind swallowing passage, Our good friend and much loved OCF member Minnie has been lost to the disease (RIP 10-29-08). We will all miss her greatly.
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