› Forums › General Melanoma Community › PET scan question
- This topic has 18 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 10 months ago by
yazziemac.
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- February 6, 2015 at 2:51 pm
Hello
My husband, Pete, has Stage 4 melanoma but has been NED since a craniotomy and gamma knife radiation late last year. His oncologist has suggested a PET scan to monitor him and we're unfamiliar with this process. Could someone please tell me what is the general process is if something lights up in the PET scan? Is the next step generally a biopsy? I would just like to know what to expect. Thanks in advance,
Yasmin
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- February 6, 2015 at 3:55 pm
It depends. Each thing that lights up has a rating. Usually a 3 or less typically gets ignored but not always. Basically the fake sugar I call it that they put into you is used to measure the amount of cell activity. The more activity the higher the number and thus the more likelyhood the spot is cancer. The radiologist doctor writes the scan report. Your doctor may look at that then at the scan to determine if there is anything that might be a concern. This is where you need a good doc. They might even show you various spots of the scan. So not everything that lights up is a concern but if your doc believes something shows a concern then yes they will need to do something. To your question going from NED to possibly recurrence then based on what I've read on this forum they will probably do a biopsy to confirm it.
Artie
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- February 6, 2015 at 3:55 pm
It depends. Each thing that lights up has a rating. Usually a 3 or less typically gets ignored but not always. Basically the fake sugar I call it that they put into you is used to measure the amount of cell activity. The more activity the higher the number and thus the more likelyhood the spot is cancer. The radiologist doctor writes the scan report. Your doctor may look at that then at the scan to determine if there is anything that might be a concern. This is where you need a good doc. They might even show you various spots of the scan. So not everything that lights up is a concern but if your doc believes something shows a concern then yes they will need to do something. To your question going from NED to possibly recurrence then based on what I've read on this forum they will probably do a biopsy to confirm it.
Artie
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- February 6, 2015 at 4:06 pm
Thanks, Artie, that's helpful. We are lucky that we have a fabulous melanoma specialist as Pete's oncologist and he is at an excellent cancer centre in Toronto. I'm glad that they're being proactive and trying to catch any recurrences early.
Yasmin
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- February 6, 2015 at 4:06 pm
Thanks, Artie, that's helpful. We are lucky that we have a fabulous melanoma specialist as Pete's oncologist and he is at an excellent cancer centre in Toronto. I'm glad that they're being proactive and trying to catch any recurrences early.
Yasmin
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- February 6, 2015 at 4:06 pm
Thanks, Artie, that's helpful. We are lucky that we have a fabulous melanoma specialist as Pete's oncologist and he is at an excellent cancer centre in Toronto. I'm glad that they're being proactive and trying to catch any recurrences early.
Yasmin
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- February 6, 2015 at 3:55 pm
It depends. Each thing that lights up has a rating. Usually a 3 or less typically gets ignored but not always. Basically the fake sugar I call it that they put into you is used to measure the amount of cell activity. The more activity the higher the number and thus the more likelyhood the spot is cancer. The radiologist doctor writes the scan report. Your doctor may look at that then at the scan to determine if there is anything that might be a concern. This is where you need a good doc. They might even show you various spots of the scan. So not everything that lights up is a concern but if your doc believes something shows a concern then yes they will need to do something. To your question going from NED to possibly recurrence then based on what I've read on this forum they will probably do a biopsy to confirm it.
Artie
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- February 7, 2015 at 4:01 pm
Hi Yasmin,
I think it depends on what the PET finds. In my case, I went from stage 3C NED to a scan that showed multiple spots in my liver, lungs and gallbladder. The PET alone showed such strong evidence of stage 4 that no biopsy was done and I began a clinical trial right away for stage 4 patients (the so called RAD-VAX trial that combines irradiating a tumor combined with Yervoy).
A few months later, the supposed tumor in my gallbladder had grown while the other tumors remained stable. I had the gallbladder removed, and it was indeed melanoma.
– Paul.
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- February 7, 2015 at 4:01 pm
Hi Yasmin,
I think it depends on what the PET finds. In my case, I went from stage 3C NED to a scan that showed multiple spots in my liver, lungs and gallbladder. The PET alone showed such strong evidence of stage 4 that no biopsy was done and I began a clinical trial right away for stage 4 patients (the so called RAD-VAX trial that combines irradiating a tumor combined with Yervoy).
A few months later, the supposed tumor in my gallbladder had grown while the other tumors remained stable. I had the gallbladder removed, and it was indeed melanoma.
– Paul.
-
- February 7, 2015 at 4:01 pm
Hi Yasmin,
I think it depends on what the PET finds. In my case, I went from stage 3C NED to a scan that showed multiple spots in my liver, lungs and gallbladder. The PET alone showed such strong evidence of stage 4 that no biopsy was done and I began a clinical trial right away for stage 4 patients (the so called RAD-VAX trial that combines irradiating a tumor combined with Yervoy).
A few months later, the supposed tumor in my gallbladder had grown while the other tumors remained stable. I had the gallbladder removed, and it was indeed melanoma.
– Paul.
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- February 8, 2015 at 11:43 pm
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- February 8, 2015 at 11:43 pm
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- February 8, 2015 at 11:43 pm
I want to share the amazing results with Cannabis oil cancer miracle cure. My wife just recovered from breast cancer just 19 weeks of using it. She have being having this breast cancer on her left side which she have been battling for over 3 years.More importantly, she is no longer having to deal with the embarrassment and annoyance of Chemo, Radiations and those crazy cancer drugs which is been recommended by oncologist nor daily fatigue. If you have been in the situation, you will know what it means to be free indeed.Thanks to Dr. Thomas and Mr. Rick Simpson. Save yourself, and your family members and friends by helping them out with this information for better understanding.Where to order the medication online!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!mail:simpsonmr.rick@yahoo.com: ricksimp@usa.comfor more help. -
- February 9, 2015 at 9:06 am
If ther is a huge change from a previous PET, then it is likely that the light bulb is cancerous. If there does seem to be some change but not a lot, then CT scans will ilkely be done with a month or two apart. This will allow more accurate determination of growth rates..often a FNA (Fine Needle Aspiration) will be attempoted if the spot appears laarge enough to find with a needle. They might da a CT guided FNA to stand a better chance of getting into the best loction in the suspected tumor.
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- February 9, 2015 at 9:06 am
If ther is a huge change from a previous PET, then it is likely that the light bulb is cancerous. If there does seem to be some change but not a lot, then CT scans will ilkely be done with a month or two apart. This will allow more accurate determination of growth rates..often a FNA (Fine Needle Aspiration) will be attempoted if the spot appears laarge enough to find with a needle. They might da a CT guided FNA to stand a better chance of getting into the best loction in the suspected tumor.
-
- February 9, 2015 at 9:06 am
If ther is a huge change from a previous PET, then it is likely that the light bulb is cancerous. If there does seem to be some change but not a lot, then CT scans will ilkely be done with a month or two apart. This will allow more accurate determination of growth rates..often a FNA (Fine Needle Aspiration) will be attempoted if the spot appears laarge enough to find with a needle. They might da a CT guided FNA to stand a better chance of getting into the best loction in the suspected tumor.
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