Criteria for NED
 

How do you know if you have reached the NED status?

Vanesa;

I wish I knew. I think I'm NED but my onc never discusses this with me.

Cathy

You reach NED when there is no active cancer that shows up in your body. Usually this is determined by doing a PET/CT. I started chemo (taxotere, Xeloda, Herceptin) in January and I was told that I was NED in April after my PET/CT came back clean..(I had two small lung mets). Since April I have had 1 CT scan, and just had another CT/PET in September and they have all come back clean. I also have had 2 brain MRI's since then, because I have headaches from Herceptin and I get freaked out and make my Oncologist order me MRI's..lol....they have also come back clean. Some doctors don't routinely do these scans. Mine scans me every 3 months, I guess because I was stage IV and he wants to keep an eye on me. ..sherryg

Good question.


Yes PT/CT and also continuous markers at a certain level.

XOXO

MCS ( maria)

Sherryg,

My oncologist also sends me every 3 months for a PET/CT scan and also MRI when I started Herceptin and had very bad headaches. I just had a PET/CT in August that was clear and an MRI which was clear. I have another PET/CT scan scheduled for mid October since I'm having some pain in my lower right rib cage area and she wants to make sure it's nothing to worry about. I also got my first Bayer Serum test done and she will repeat that every 6 weeks.