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P.T.E. scan

li47
  • By li47
  • Posted November 10, 2007 at 12:13 pm · 7 replies
  • In Breast cancer
  • Shared with the public
0 Recommendations

i P.E.T scant is a new method of diagnosis .My doctor refuse to let me do it becase of the false positivi results it migth show.Does any one know any thing about it?

Explore topics in this discussion:

Cancer Surgery Herniated disc Chemotherapy Pain Melanoma Bone cancer

7 replies

Martha5

Yes, I have had numerous PET scans. There seems to be a variety of opinions regarding these scans. Some doctors seem to believe in them, while other doctors don't seem to. In my case, the doctors use the results from the PET, which always shows one lymph node "lit up", along with my elevated CA-125, as proof that I still need chemotherapy. However, if just one of these tests showed anything, they wouldn't necessarily believe it. But, with both together showing something, it seems to bolster the evidence.

Is there another test you could do, along with the PET scan?

Eve

Elaine, I have also had numerous pet scans and my history with them has been just the opposite of what your Dr. said. Mine showed only one area "hot" whereas one month later through Cat scans and exploratory surgery-bone cancer and cancer in my intestinal lining and stomach showed up. It might be ok with other tests but would not depend on it by itself.

JUDYB1

I have been having PET scans for several years. I have metastatic melanoma to the brain. I started with the PET scans that took about 4 hours from start to finish (good way to nap). Then they came up with PET/CT scans which now only take about 2 hours from start to finish. I always have whole body scans. My scans have always showed "focal uptake" on the right femur and left tibia. I have had MRI's which showed nothing. I usually have the PET/CT Scan every six months. This time it will be a year since I have had one. I guess this is good news, but makes me very nervous. I do get an MRI of the brain every six months. I like having the PET/CT Scan just to make sure there are no new "little" things growing. I have been taking Chemo oral medication since 9/1999.

Diane11

Elaine - At my most recent Y-ME meeting we had a lady to ran the PET scans on patients. She said they are very touchy. You truly can't move a muscle while taking the scan. She said even chewing a piece of gum can make the scan invalid. Twitching your foot, or moving your arm can get false readings. When they say lay completely still - they mean it. Also she said that anything you have done previous to the scan can throw the readings off. The lady said that up to an hour before the test you have to be still and quiet. Best of luck to you. We, in this community, will be praying for you. Diane

li47

Sorry, I was away from a few days...
Thank you Diane, you have bean very helpful.
I had 3 recorrences and I´m worried ... that ´s why I keeping asking my doctor what to do, but him only ask for a annual mamografia.Do you know what else can one do to in order to see if every thing still fine?
I apologize for my bed writing, I dont write in English for a long time...

I than you All of you that answer to my topic.

Eliane

Diane11

Hi Elaine -
You write just fine - you get your message across and that is perfect!
You need to have a Dr. you can trust. If the Dr. you have only suggests
mammograms once a year and that does not give you comfort, find a
Dr. who is more pro-active in your care. You need to tell your Dr. how you
feel (scared about another re-occurance) and maybe the Dr. will
understand and do some other testing to put your mind at ease. Best to
you Elaine!
Diane

devo

I recently had two CT scans - (the same thing as a PET scan).

I had to get these so the doctor could determine if my lumbar spine or abdomen was contributing to a pain I'd been having for months. There was a "lesion" in the area of "the esophageal/stomach junction". The radiologist suggested having this further investigated in an EGD (endoscopy). The endoscopy is where they insert a tube with a camera on the end of it - very tiny and not invasive, into your throat and extend it down into the esophagus and stomach region to look for polyps or gastric cancer or other conditions. Sure enough, I have what they are calling a "benign neoplasm" on the lining of my stomach in the region of the lesion found on the CT scan.

If they had not done a CT scan, no one would have ever known this growth was on my stomach. In my research on the web, the term "lesion" is used widely but mostly for "abnormal cellular activity". To my understanding, this could transfer to "cancer". These are not usually found early and there aren't any symptoms until the disease is fairly already advanced, so in my case, the CT scan turned out to be a huge lucky blessing in disguise of trying to find out my pain that was ultimately determined by discovery of a herniated disc.

Depending on what they are looking for, an annual scan could save your life in the long run.

Best of luck to you. Hope this can give you a helpful perspective.

Best, Devorah (Devo)

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