Follow up procedure

[Alex_G]

Hello all,

I just wanted to share with you that today were my last day of radiation. It was 17 days with total of 2550. I’m really happy that it’s over finally. My body took it pretty well. My doctor prescribes me compozine 10mg and it really helped me a lot.
My doctor told me that we need follow up appointments and it makes sense. What doesn’t make sense to me that I need to do blood work and chest X-ray once in 3 month and CT scan once in 6 months?
I told him that in my case '100% seminoma' markers would be normal and X-Ray wouldn’t catch anything less than basketball ball.
Also probably first were cancer should appear would be abdomen and chest X-Ray doesn’t cover this area.
Am I missing something here?

What was yours follow up?

Thanks

Alex

[rjs]

Alex -
Your follow-up schedule seems to be the norm for the first year. I followed this schedule for the first year and it is the recommended schedule by the National Oncology group. There is some debate about frequency of the CT scans, but 6 mos for Year 1 and then once a year for Year 2 seems what most suggest. Years 3-5 can vary.
The blood and chest x-ray are also considered normal follow-up based on what I am told and have read.

-rs

[Alex_G]

Thanks for confirming it!

[Scott]

I told him that in my case '100% seminoma' markers would be normal and X-Ray wouldn’t catch anything less than basketball ball.
Also probably first were cancer should appear would be abdomen and chest X-Ray doesn’t cover this area.
Am I missing something here?

After radiation therapy, recurrence in the abdomen is very unlikely. A recurrence would more likely show up in the lungs, and a chest x-ray would catch it long before it was the size of a basketball!