PET Scan Lighting-up 4 Months after Treatment

Posted by florida11 @florida11, Aug 31, 2023

Hi,

I had a Mayo PET scan in January 2023 that showed a lymph node lighting up. I then started 18 months of ADT and had 3 weeks of radiation at Mayo in April 2023 across a band around my abdomen. I just had another PET scan at the end of August 2023 (4 months after radiation). The same lymph node still lit up, but the color/brightness had declined materially since the Jan. PET scan.

The doctors at Mayo said it takes awhile for the PET scans to stop lighting up and the fact that the color had declined materially was a good thing. I am on ADT for another 12 months and of course I was hoping the scan would show nothing.

Has anyone else had such an experience?

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bens1 | @bens1 | Sep 2, 2023

what did your biopsy show?

florida11 | @florida11 | Sep 2, 2023

My biopsy was in October of 2017 and showed 2 of 12 cores tested 25% positive. I was Gleeson 4+3=7. I had my prostate removed at North Western in December 2017, then an undetectable PSA for 10 months.

After PSA rose for 5-6 months in late 2018/early 2019, I started radiation when PSA was under .2 and went on ADT for 2 years. My PSA stayed undetectable for over a year after ending ADT and then started rising. Nothing showed up in my first scan in Aug 2022 when my PSA was about .15. Then the scan in Jan. 2023 showed the lymph node light up when my PSA rose to close to 1.0. When I had 3 weeks of radiation at Mayo in April 2023 my PSA was 1.57. I just got another scan last week that showed a material decline in the lymph, but it was still lit up. Dr. Kwon said it takes time for the PC to stop showing up on the scan and that most people would not get scans 4 months after radiation, but he wanted to ensure that no PC showed up in other places. We will see what it looks like in 3 months.