Too many CT scans?

[dannysbrother]

YES!

Great to hear it Bobby.

I have your question regarding microlithiasis in my wallet and will ask Dr. Bosl just as soon as I see him. No one at todays meeting was right for that type of very specific question.

Congrats again. Now if only the Eagles could go all the way...

M

[Already Bald]

reading "All Clear" is the best!
Way to go.

[Scott]

Hearty congratulations on your "all clear!"

[Fed]

Way to go, Bobby!! WOOHOO!!

[Margaret]

AWESOME news...way to go!!!!

[fuse929]

After 5 day of waiting, finally got the CT and CXR results: all clear! Pretty pumped!

[Margaret]

Maybe this has already been addressed (if so forgive me) but is a CT scan better or worse than the PET scan?

It used to make me mad when the doc would say 'we are going to do a full CT scan, but I am sure if we see anything we will also have to do a more detailed PET scan'...so I would say since you are likely going to do a PET scan anyway, why don't we just do that first and save him the radiation?

He said okay and they just did the PET scan. But Boyce has been scanned more than I care to print.

[petep]

My first year was chest and blood work every month with a CT scan every 3 months...so 4x in one year.

BUT...in practice I had scans...

april 2006 (one week after my last bleo)
july 2006
oct 2006
jan 2007 was skipped - doc said with 3 good scans in a row he would skip one

april 2007

after my april scan (my one year anniversary), I now go every other month for chest/blood and ct scan every 4 months...

I do not know if this is true or not, but where I go, everything is digital (they do the xrays/scan and it is immediately on all the cancer centers computers) and I am told less radiation relative to the film scanners....but I have not researched this.

pete

[AdrianB1971]

.

In 2 years of surveillance I had 2 CAT scans : first right after chemo [to see the curative effects] and the second after one year. Now i'm preparing for the third and after that i'll do regulary scans from 2 to 2 years. Bealive or not, o've read some studies about the negative effects of CAT radiation [increasing risk of malignacies and heart diseases]. Even more dangerous it seems to be XRays scans. Of course, doing only the blood work checkup for such o long period implies some risks

[BeachTech]

mstlyn said "Anthonys oncologist said that CT scans should not be taken lightly. A CT scan is equivalent to about 300 x-rays (according to the oncologist)."

Well, each "scan visit" includes 2 scans...one with contrast and one without.
So that's 600 x-rays per scan visit.

That's why I think they should provide a testicle shield, since the pelvic scan goes right through the testicle. Each time I do a scan I ask about it. They just smile and tell me not to worry.

My surveillance scan schedule for Stage 1 seminoma is Abdomen+Pelvis scan every 3 months for 1st year.

-AlexG

Check this out X ray comparison. An chest xray = 10 days of Natural Background Radiation, a CT scan = 3 years

If I had no history of cancer, there is no way I would get a "Full Body Scan" (a voluntary CT scan for healthy people that YOU pay for) HOWEVER, I had cancer, and that 3 years of Natural Background Radiation every 3 months is worth it.

In medicine, it is all about "risk vs. benefit". Sure a CT scan is a lot of radiation, but it's better (IMO) that missing cancer again. Hey, I was lucky I found it the first time...I don't want to risk it again.

As far as non-seminoma, the west coast expert Dr. Skinner told me the typical protocal is every 3 months during year one, every 4 months on year two, and every 6 months for year three. Beyond year three, CT scans are not considered necessary.

Lastly, my doctor told me that there is a low risk that all of those CT scans would brain my damage.
________
red head girl Cams

[Fed]

He said he only likes to do the first scan after 2 months to be sure there was no metastasis.

It was the same with me; my first scan was in Feburary, 2 months after the I/O. It's been every 4 months since then, with the next one slated for October (right before the LIVESTRONG Challenge in Austin!)

Best of luck tomorrow, champ!

[fuse929]

I just got off the phone with my urologist, and he told me that after tomorrow's scan, he is moving the surveillance to 1 scan every 4 months. He said he must have made a mistake when he told me every 2 months, because it is not something he would ever recommend. He said he only likes to do the first scan after 2 months to be sure there was no metastasis.

Haha.......I dunno what I would do without advice from you guys.

[AlexG]

mstlyn said "Anthonys oncologist said that CT scans should not be taken lightly. A CT scan is equivalent to about 300 x-rays (according to the oncologist)."

Well, each "scan visit" includes 2 scans...one with contrast and one without.
So that's 600 x-rays per scan visit.

That's why I think they should provide a testicle shield, since the pelvic scan goes right through the testicle. Each time I do a scan I ask about it. They just smile and tell me not to worry.

My surveillance scan schedule for Stage 1 seminoma is Abdomen+Pelvis scan every 3 months for 1st year.

-AlexG

[fuse929]

Margaret,

The NCCN guideline that Sans posted, if I'm reading it correctly, says that after "full response" to chemo or RPLND, CT scans should be every 6 months for the first year then every 6-12 months for the 2nd year with CXR every 3-4 months. It doesn't mention anything about blood draws. I hope that helps!

Bobby

[Margaret]

Bobby, sounds like for Stage 1A seminoma I was off. Sorry about that

It says for my husband's cancer, he sould get a CT every 2-3 months. But it just so happens that it was on my calendar to call and get his next CT scan lined up...so we called today and they are moving my husband to blood draw every 60 days and a CT scan every 4 months.

Now he jus had the RPLND in December and 4 rounds BEP...does this sound right to you? It sounds like they are waiting too long in between CT scans and blood draws to me. I just want to be careful and not just accept their advice with out asking you guys

Thanks