PET Scan After Chemo/Radiation

Posted by spooz2 @spooz2, Oct 24, 2019

What is the recommended interval between the end of chemo/radiation and a PET scan to determine effectiveness?

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@spooz2 You sound a bit anxious. Are you? What has the doctor said is the reason for the PET scan and have you been scheduled for one?

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My doctor recommended that i should get a Pet scan 3 months after the end of radiation, which I did and another scan 3 months after that!

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@becsbuddy

@spooz2 You sound a bit anxious. Are you? What has the doctor said is the reason for the PET scan and have you been scheduled for one?

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Becky, I know you mean well, but, of course, I am anxious....I have cancer! As I mentioned in my query, my forthcoming PET scan will show whether my chemo/radiation was effective. I am in the process of scheduling the scan, so I wanted learn from others about the interval between ending those therapies and having the scan.

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@lynndian

My doctor recommended that i should get a Pet scan 3 months after the end of radiation, which I did and another scan 3 months after that!

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Hi @lynndian, may I ask what type of cancer you were treated for? Did you doctor mention that scans would be less frequent as time goes on?

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@colleenyoung

Hi @lynndian, may I ask what type of cancer you were treated for? Did you doctor mention that scans would be less frequent as time goes on?

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Bladder cancer. Radical cystectomy in Sept. '18. No mention of less frequency of scan over time.

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@colleenyoung

Hi @lynndian, may I ask what type of cancer you were treated for? Did you doctor mention that scans would be less frequent as time goes on?

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Hi! I was diagnosed with base of tongue, left tonsil, and oropharyngeal wall cancer and 2 lymph nodes in January 2019. I had robotic surgery and lymph node removal in February and then I had a scan that showed that it looked like cancer was gone except there was perineural invasion so i did 6 weeks of radiation treatment. I was done with that at the end of April, then I had a follow up PET scan 3 months later, in late July. The scan looked good but a follow up scan was set up for 3 months from that. They set me up for just a CT scan and appointment with my radiation oncologist and I go this Wednesday Nov. 6. I believe he had said that if this scan looked good, that I would go back one year from now for another PET scan, then 2 years from that have 1 more.

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