Bruce u Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 Met with the oncolgist this morning to get my 2nd opinion on adjuvant chemo for stage 1b. I had already made the decision to have the chemo. H explained that mine was classified as T2/No/Mo. He said the only reason it was T2 and not T1 is because it had entered a blood vessel but not the pleura. He went on to say that itis easy for cells to enter a blood vessel but very difficult for them to get ou and they usually die in the bloodstream. I asked if the chemo would kill any that did get into the blood vessel and he said it would. He also said that an x-ray would be as good as a CT scan every 3 months. I asked him about a PET scan. He said that a PET is not always reliable and often produced a false positive and he gave me 3 examples of his own patients that it happened to. This onc. specializes in L/C and Melonoma at the Cross Cancer Institute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recce101 Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 "Bruce u" ...He also said that an x-ray would be as good as a CT scan every 3 months. I think I'd be inclined to push for a CT scan occasionally -- maybe do that instead of the x-ray every other time. As I'm sure you know, CT gives slices in 3 dimensions and can pick up a small nodule that might be hidden behind something else in an x-ray. You might check onctalk.com for Dr. West's normal practice/recommendation. Aloha, Ned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connie B Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 I agree with the chemo idea. I agree about the PET Scans being false/positive, but I disagree about the X-ray verses CT scan. CT IS better in detecting lung cancer. That has been proven. Good luck to you. You'll fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionking Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 i agree, x-rays are just not acceptable. ive seen other posts where drs ordered xrays then later ct scans to find things that never showed on the xray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fillise Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 I agree that the chemo is a good choice, and also to press for the CT scan. Make sure your insurance company isn't the one putting up the roadblock to that. Sometimes they don't want to pay for CR scans, or require prior approval. Other wise I'd consult with an oncologist radiologist for a second opinion on x-rays vs CT scans. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexan Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 i am with Ned, do one and one. Remember sometime xrays don't show Best of luck hugs bucky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don M Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 Bruce: I will never know for sure, but maybe if I had done adjuvant chemo after my initial 1b cancer upper left lobectomy 4 years ago, I would not be on my 3rd and 4th cancers now. Ask for a chest ct scan at least every 6 months. Don M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce u Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 Thanks for everyone's advice on the CT scans over x-ray. That is the advice everyone here agreed on before I met with the oncologist on Thursday. That is why I was surprised when he recommended x-ray over the CT scan. My other concern is the length of time since my surgery. They usually start adjuvant chemo 6 - 7 weeks after surgery. Because of all the delays with the surgeon being out of the country then waiting for the first onc. appointment then getting a 2nd opinion, it will be over 12 weeks. I asked the onc. if this would decrease the effectiveness of the chemo and he said they didn't know for sure. He felt there was still a benefit to having the 4 treatments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don M Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 I think 3 months is ok. you could ask Dr. West about it. http://www.onctalk.com/ Don M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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