Scheduling scans during treatment?

VirginiaGirl · 01-28-2007, 05:59 AM

I'm due for a PET/CT combo scan to evaluate my response to Taxotere/Herceptin and when I called to schedule they said I have to be three weeks out from my last treatment (I'm on a three-week schedule). Has anyone else run into this and what would the reason be? I see my onc Monday and will ask then, but was curious to hear any feedback from others. Thanks!

Colleen007 · 01-28-2007, 10:29 AM

I got my first PET/CT scan on September. My Oncologist actually wanted me to wait 8 - 12 weeks after I stopped Taxol at the end of June because she said that the chemo drugs sometimes create inaccurate readings on the scans. When I had my next PET scan earlier this month (while on Navelbine), I didn't have to wait so long because they already had the September baseline which gave them a good read on spots that were just "physiological uptake" vs. cancerous uptake.

Good luck!

tousled1 · 01-28-2007, 12:39 PM

I get PET/CT scans every about every three months. I'm on Herceptin only and I've never had any problems.

Chelee · 01-28-2007, 02:36 PM

I was doing TCH, (Taxotere, Carbo & Herceptin) and I was never told to wait. In fact once my onc had set-up my PET/CT for the 3rd day after my chemo when I would feel my worse. I told her I could not do that. She let me re-schedule for the following week. I did notice that PET/CT report did mention things that showed up but it would say something like, "increased uptake in bone marrow consistent with chemotherapy".

My first PET/CT was BEFORE I started chemo...the 2nd was was DURING...and my last one was 5 months after my last chemo.

Chelee

doh2pa · 01-28-2007, 04:39 PM

Hi Liz,

I, too, am on a three week chemo schedule. I usually have my scans on the week before my chemo (so it's the second week out). Have never had any problems or weird results.

Donna

Sherryg683 · 01-28-2007, 04:51 PM

I had scans done every 6 weeks while on chemo, the way it would fall is that my scans would be right before I would start the taxotere treatment which I did every 3 weeks...I don't think it mattered though.....sherryg683

caya · 01-28-2007, 07:59 PM

Hello All,

I am fairly new to the site. I was diagnosed in October 2006, due to plastic surgeon finding a tumor while doing my breast reduction surgery. So began the rounds of all the scans - transvaginal ultrasound, liver ultrasound, bone scan, bloodwork, CT of the brain, chest X-ray, MRI of the left breast - all clear. Had a mastectomy (right) on Dec. 18th, all 16 lymph nodes tested were clear. Original tumor (found during breast reduction) was 1.7 cm, ER+PR+ HER 2+++ (FISH) stage 1, grade 1. They found another tumor during the mastectomy - 1.0 cm., stage 1, grade 2 did not test for ER,PR, HER2 because of the previous tumor. I started FEC-T this past Thursday ( once every 3 weeks for 6 rounds ), then will be on Herceptin for a year ( once every 3 weeks). My question is - how often should I be getting the scans - especially bone and brain - I haven't had a brain MRI - just a CT, which was clear. Any advise from the veterans would be much appreciated!!

Thanks
Caya

Lee · 01-29-2007, 07:50 AM

....and I was getting chemo weekly. It was never an issue. My onc wanted to be sure the chemo was working, and the only way to check that is to do scans.

Can you have your onc's office call to schedule the appointment? They always do my scheduling.

VirginiaGirl · 01-30-2007, 03:56 PM

Thanks to everyone for replying! When I asked the nurse at my onc's office, she said it was to give the chemo drugs time to get out of my system to keep the readings more accurate. It just surprised me because when I had the last PET/CT in Nov. I was only doing Herceptin and nothing had been said either way.

Cara - there are a few recent links about the whole brain MRI scanning issue you asked about, I think if you use the search link above it will find them, but more experienced users feel free to correct me/provide better guidance!

Peace and Blessings,