When to do the PET/CT scan after 4th round of chemo

Jinda
  • By Jinda · March 2, 2010 at 1:05 pm · 11 replies
  • In Small cell lung cancer - General
  • 0 Recommend      
    Options
    Options:
  • Shared with the public

I know that after completing four rounds of chemo, a PET/CT scan is usually done to see if remission has been achieved, or if more treatment is needed (moving on to 5th and 6th round). Can some of you recall when your PET/CT was done after the 4th round? Was it after 4 weeks? Or you didn't wait for that long to have the PET/CT scan. Thanks so much.

Eva

Explore topics in this post

Explore topics in this post:

11 replies   

Marylou1

My scan was done about 2 weeks after my 4th round of chemo.
Hope this helps,
Marylou

Jinda

Hi Marylou,
Thank you so much.

Eva

vs8049

in my case my adjuvant chemo finished 22nd august 2009, and my PET scan was done 23rd feb 2010, showing NED. My localised tumor was discovered in april 2009 by CT scan and removed surgically in april itself. Now I read that in china they have legalised PDT treatment which can kill tumors, also prevent recurrence, so I hope my surgery decision was correct.

Jinda
  • By Jinda
  • Reply 776207 · In reply to 775307 by vs8049
  • March 6, 2010 at 10:04 pm
  • Report post

Would you please tell me what PDT treatment is? Thanks.

Eva

HollyJo

Me too....What is PDT?

vs8049

it is photodynamic therapy, pls go to google and type:
NexGenPDT and search. In china there is some dr john lim, I can give you his mobile number, once you have done basic research, also psl keep me updated, best wsihes, vinod

nelss06

My scan was done 4 weeks after my 4th round. Then 1 more week off and started round 5. Onc said this was so we could get a more accurate read on the scan. Just to see if there was any change and if it was worth continuing this treatment or if something needed to change. All was OK and continued on with rounds 5 and 6 and then into remission where nothing lit up. That was last Feb and am still in remission. Next scan is end of March so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Hope you are as fortunate as I have been.

flapperette

I had my first round of chemo on Nov. 16, 2009. I had a pet scan on Feb.16th 2010 exactly 3 months later. That was after 11 treatments or close to round 4. The results showed my tumor shrunk from 6 cc to 2.5cc. I'm very thankful for that. As soon as the tumor stopped, all my pain also did. Hope this was of some help.

Good luck to you.

Al1197 (Inactive)
  • By Al1197 (Inactive)
  • Reply 777812
  • March 8, 2010 at 10:14 am
  • Report post

My wife has been doing chemo for 18 months now and she gets a PET scan once every 3 months. The Docs would like to do it more often, but they are leery of her getting all that radiation. The PET scan provides a data point. There is no way to know if the cancer cell is growing or fading. Between scans there is no way of knowing if the tumor grew first & then decreased in size, whether it decreased in size & then got bigger. There is only a series of data points.
This makes me wonder though, with NSCLC she is probably not going to live more than 2 more years, so what does it matter if she gets scans more often? I'll have to ask our Oncologist. Sometimes the obvious passes me by.

pennysdad

I believe it depends on what regimen you're on and for how long. I am on my fourth line of treatment and had PET scan after completing an 8 week regimen, a CT scans halfway through two other lines (after 6 out of 12 treatments), with a PET scan upon completion, and will now have a CT scan after completing 8 treatments out of 16 and then a PET scan upon completion. I was a bit concerned about the all the radiation exposure, but then thought, "hey, you already have a terminal illness; what more harm can be done"?

KINGTUBBY (Inactive)
  • By KINGTUBBY (Inactive)
  • Reply 780763
  • March 10, 2010 at 9:41 am
  • Report post

Thanx for this info guys. I was dx with Stage IV NSCLC. Will be going for pleurodisis on sunday the 14th coz I have pleural effusion in my right lung, then chemo starts the following week once I get out of hospital. Do not know yet what drugs I will be on so will let you know.

However, I am quite keen on PDT. To vs8049, could you please pass me the number for this dr john Lim you mentioned in your earlier post. Thank you in advance

This discussion is closed to replies. We close all discussions after 90 days.

If there's something you'd like to discuss, click below to start a new discussion.

Start a new discussion

Things you can do

Advertisement

Advertisement

Discussion topics

Community leaders