Criteria for NED

Vanessa · 10-02-2006, 07:17 PM

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

Cathya · 10-02-2006, 08:50 PM

Vanesa;

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

Cathy

Sherryg683 · 10-02-2006, 09:07 PM

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

MCS · 10-03-2006, 05:25 PM

Good question.

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

XOXO

MCS ( maria)

tousled1 · 10-03-2006, 10:09 PM

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.