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Alternative for annual PET/CT scan?
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Alternative for annual PET/CT scan?

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Alternative for annual PET/CT scan?

  • Post
    • March 16, 2019 at 4:19 pm
    Roxanne218
    Participant

      I am faced with a 2nd annual PET/CT scan coming up soon. I really dread all the radiation entering my body by having this done. I know it's a valuable test, but is there any other type of test that can give me results for spreading or non-spreading of melanoma? What about CT scan alone? Ultrasound? First baseline PET/CT scan last April showed NED. Thanks for any info/advice.

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        • March 16, 2019 at 4:56 pm
        doragsda
        Participant

          A MRI doesn't expose you to radiation, but they are more expensive than CT, so insurance companies usually won't approve a MRI for general follow up scans.   A CT exposes you to less than PET, as PET involves injecting a radioactive tracer agent into your body.    The risks from these imaging techniques is far less than the risk posed by melanoma, so I think it's a worthwhile practive.

          • March 16, 2019 at 5:02 pm
          Toby0987
          Participant

            Hey Roxanne-I appreciate the concern on the radiation-I has the same thought/it can’t be good for you. However after talking to the radiologist-I found a good amount is excreted in iurine as well as the amount we get is fairly small. Bottom line it beats the alternative. The PET scan is the single best way to find melanoma-hands down-you gotta do it. Try concentrating on things you have control over -great diet, exercise and being a vampire-ha!

            • March 16, 2019 at 5:08 pm
            Roxanne218
            Participant

              Forgot to mention that I'm a 67 yr. old senior. Things are tougher at this age, and if there's an easier method – I'll take it!

              • March 16, 2019 at 6:30 pm
              Edwin
              Participant

                I am 75 years old and have had 15 PET scans.   A PET scan is easy.  Just lie still.   You do have to prepare for it.  You are fortunate that your heath insurance pays for annual PET scans.   Some health insurance plans pay only for less accurate scans and put their patients at risk.

                • March 16, 2019 at 7:04 pm
                jbronicki
                Participant

                  Hi Roxanne,

                  I was just having a discussion like this with my sister regarding this as she is hesitant.  Any intervention of ny kind involves a risk/benefit ratio.  Basically anything in life involves that as well. .  The discussion came up on the board earlier this year, and the research  can show you the low probability of developing cancer from CT scan, etc..  The risk of anything happening from the low amounts of radiation are far less than the damage that melanoma spreading can do, i would land on the side of trying to prevent it.  I understand the worry, but benefit of scanning outweighs the risk in this scenario.  Good luck and hoping NED for the rest of life.

                    • March 16, 2019 at 7:13 pm
                    jbronicki
                    Participant

                      Also, there is research occuring around more definitive tests that aren't imaging-based (biomarkers, etc).  I don't know of any thing definitive yet, others on this board may know.  There are things they look for that may tell you you are more likely to have recurrence or certain out of range lab values that might point to the possiblity of spread, but nothing definitive to my knowledge.  Imaging remains a first line of defense to looking internally. 

                      • March 17, 2019 at 8:12 am
                      caman
                      Participant

                        My insurance only covers CT Scan and MRI,  at this time, not PET/SCAN.  They told me they serve the same purpose as the PET/SCAN.  Does anyone know if thats true?

                        • March 17, 2019 at 12:07 pm
                        ed williams
                        Participant

                          If you are looking to find a new melanoma or a change in size of an old melanoma tumor then I would agree with the insurance company. However when you have existing tumors that have been proven via biopsy to be melanoma and you are on treatment or have had treatment like targeted therapy or immunotherapy and the tumor or tumors have remained stable or decreased in size then the only way to know if there is still active cancer and not just scar tissue (which shows up on ct or MRI the same as active cancer) is to do a pet-ct to see if there is any SUV uptake!!! You could also biopsy the tumor or cut it out and do a pathological report if possible. I was considered a partial responder on checkmate 067 trial because my two lung tumors deceased in size, one no longer shows up on scans and the other stopped at 1 cm and just stayed that way scan after scan. Last March I finally got approval for a pet-ct and was very pleased that it showed no SUV uptake in that lung mass!!! So, I can now call myself NEAD (no evidence of active disease). 

                          • March 17, 2019 at 1:37 pm
                          caman
                          Participant

                            Thank You Ed, appriciate that.  My fairly large primary (4) was diagnosed April 2018.  I'm just waiting for something to happen to me.  Getting scanned every 3mo,  so far nothing,  April 2019 is next one..1yr anniverary. ..Thank god things look better you you.

                          • March 18, 2019 at 12:08 am
                          Lucygoose
                          Participant

                            I read this with interest. 

                            Ive asked at Emory and MD Anderson about biomatker tests (like PSA for prostrate) and there aren’t any reliable ones yet.  

                            The radioactive isotope used in PET scans has a short half life (about 2 hours) so what isn’t excreted decays to a non-radioactive atom very quickly.  While it’s not to be taken lightly, the benefit for cancer detection outweighs the risk in my book.  

                            • March 18, 2019 at 1:49 am
                            Roxanne218
                            Participant

                              THANK YOU to all who have responded. Really some excellent information here – much appreciated!

                              • March 18, 2019 at 4:08 am
                              Charlie S
                              Participant

                                No

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