PETSCAN 7 wks after treatments???

[Michele12]

Hi - looking for some guidance/advice. My father was diagnosed with Stage III adenocarcinoma in early October. He completed his radiation and chemo treatments on December 19th. His doctor told him that a PET SCAN cannot be performed until 7-8 weeks after his last treatment. My concern is, what if its spread? or what if its growing? Shouldnt they run tests/scans now to see if the treatments were at all affective? Is this normal to wait so long after the last treatment to have a scan done? Can someone help me understand this??? Thank you - Michele

[Don Wood]

Sometimes, unfortunately, the timing of scans is dictated by the medical coverage provider. In your dad's case, the onc could be waiting for the chemo and radiation to complete their work -- they keep working even after the last treatment. Your dad should ask the onc why the long wait for a scan. Don

[jdjenkins]

My Dad also had to wait 7 weeks after chemo and radiation for a PET/CT scan. This is because the radiation keeps working in your body that long after your last treatment. This would be a perfect time for your Dad to take a vacation if possible. I tried to talk my Dad into going to Florida, but he did not want to. Wishing you good luck on your Dad's scans.

Denise

[kimmek]

My Mom too had to wait about the same amount of time before her scans after treatment ended. They want the radiation to have time to continue working and to leave the body. If not,it will show up as hot spots on the petscan, then you will be running around trying to find out if its cancer or radiation, and that is not good for anyone.

It was hard waiting, and wondering if the cancer had spread, if the chemo and radiation had worked, but I had to realize the docs knew more about this than I, plus i think the insurance probably would have yelled some, heck I wished (and still do) that Mom could have a scan every month. Anyway after the long wait we found it was worth the wait as Mom was NED and today 15 months from treatment she still is.

Hang in there,

Kim

[mamasbabygirl]

Michelle,

My mom had to wait after treatments too for scans. One thing I will add though is that you should continue to ask qustions. You can help your dad if you advocate for him. Take care, Lori

[kamataca]

Michelle,

This waiting stinks, doesn't it??? WE feel like we want to charge ahead and fight this fight, but we have to wait. The good news is, as many others have said, the fight continues as the radiation keeps working.

Praying for good scans in 7 weeks. Keep us posted!

Kelly

[Michele12]

Boy oh boy - I am so glad that I joined this message board. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and your knowledge with me. It has really helped me!! THANK YOU!! You will all be in my prayers! I will keep you posted on the results of my Dad's scan. Thanks again

[cindi o'h]

Hi Michele,

You will have lots of questions. We will try to help you the best we can. Then maybe you can help someone else with your experiences that you will have gleaned.

Welcome to this very caring place.

Best of luck...crossing everything that the scans will show improvement!

Cindi o'h

[bunny]

you should definately talk to the docs and ask your questions. I can tell you that my mother has not had a PET scan since June, right before her surgery and there is none scheduled (although, of course, she'll have CT scans regularly, with the next one in March). her surgeon explained that, b/c PET measures metabolism, it picks up things like infection and sometimes scar tissue, and is only really reliable when there are other images to corroborate it. my mother is comfortable with this. I was surprised, too, when none was scheduled but I accept his explanation (we've been through so much with him, I guess we trust him although we do continue to ask questions) and, more importantly, my mom's decision to go with it.

for what that's worth.

xoxo

amie