petscan good news bad news

'lizbeth · 05-24-2013, 02:38 PM

Boo! Crap. So stressful. I know that you are discouraged, but why not try Kadcyla - it may suck, or it might not be as atrocious as you are expecting.

Ouch. On the other hand my girlfriend's scan always seem to get misread, mixed up with other peoples, etc.

We've had so much bad news, maybe you are a lucky one up due for some good news.

Becky · 05-24-2013, 03:23 PM

Flori

Were you ever hormone positive? I am just thinking out loud here but hormone positive cancer just loves the bones. So, in thinking out loud, if Perjeta worked well on the highly her2+ cells, then what might be left behind are those that are hormone positive. Hence, they have lots of space to grow. What about testing out an AI or Faslodex shots (that cover the ER receptor) and see if there is an improvement (while staying on everything else you're on of course).

Just an idea. Something may have changed in the bones since ER+ cancer likes them best. If they were always alittle bit hormonal, there might not have been anything to shut them down so preferentially, they grew as Perjeta/Herceptin etc does nothing for that.

PS - this is would be an experiment but not a risky one and your onc might go along for a couple of months

Lani · 05-24-2013, 06:06 PM

PET scans light up wherever more glucose is being used than normal--in bones the cause can be fracture, infection, inflammation, or cancer.

Now I really don't know if the pattern of your PET or the accompanying CT or your lack of pain or tenderness (I suppose since you didn't say) is such that they can rule out stress fracture or other causes with absolute certainty(or even if there is any such pattern) , but since it is a long-weekend and you may not reach your doctor
immediately, how about imagining it is something nicer for now.

Your ideas of how they might try to decide which it is if there is uncertainty ( trying time--with interval healing if fracture--and denosumab and/or a bone scan sound logical. It might even possible they will do a biopsy if it doesn't become clear with time, I suppose. If they do, and it is breast cancer they may find that it has changed(eg er- to er+_
and there might even now be more targets to aim for.

Hang in there and hug your dog.