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Post Chemo CT-Scan: What tests are usually done after chemo?
Breast Cancer | Last Active: May 11, 2022 | Replies (6)Comment receiving replies
When I was first diagnosed the surgeon mentioned the possibility of a breast MRI but discouraged it as having the possibility of false positives. I elected to have it anyway, but the results were never discussed with me so I assumed they found nothing new. A CT and pet scan were also done at the same time. I'm now 3 years past diagnosis, 2 years past two lumpectomies, and and 19 months past chemo and radiation. I just last week asked my new oncologist (who is younger and affiliated with the state university health facility) about a new pet scan or CT scan. He replied that they too often showed false positives. He relies strictly on blood draws to detect a reoccurance.
Replies to "When I was first diagnosed the surgeon mentioned the possibility of a breast MRI but discouraged..."
I am questioning the squishy thing? You certainly don’t need mammograms less than the average woman. We all hate them and scar tissue from lumpectomies doesn’t make that better for sure, but there is no way I would agree to blood work only. Tumor markers are just not enough, if they were, no one would need a mammogram.
Are you getting mammograms annually?
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Does he do any special bood work or just the basics and/or tumor markers? Does he rely solely on blood work or also do mammogram or ultrasound? There are false negative and positive possibilities with a lot of this stuff, including a point-in-time blood specimen that was drawn incorrectly or mishandled or even affected by recent diet but not representative of mean (average) values. So the overall picture is usually drawn by an array of data points. The good news is that blood work can be retested and there's no additional radiation exposure.