CT Scan and mammogram question

Hi

i stopped my breast screen and Pap smears while my cancer was being diagnosed and treated with keytruda. Then as soon as the cancer stabilized my doctors said go ahead and do them. ( they came out clear)

in the meantime I have had 4 pets 6 cats 1brain scan, three mris two bone scans so I am pretty much radioactive now!

best wishes

anne-Louise 

Hi

i stopped my breast screen and Pap smears while my cancer was being diagnosed and treated with keytruda. Then as soon as the cancer stabilized my doctors said go ahead and do them. ( they came out clear)

in the meantime I have had 4 pets 6 cats 1brain scan, three mris two bone scans so I am pretty much radioactive now!

best wishes

anne-Louise 

Hi

i stopped my breast screen and Pap smears while my cancer was being diagnosed and treated with keytruda. Then as soon as the cancer stabilized my doctors said go ahead and do them. ( they came out clear)

in the meantime I have had 4 pets 6 cats 1brain scan, three mris two bone scans so I am pretty much radioactive now!

best wishes

anne-Louise 

I can't speak to what you should do, but I can share my recent experience and diagnosis. Maybe it will help? 

After surgery to remove two primary melanomas and full axillary dissection of lymph nodes under my left arm (among a few other things…) I had my brain MRI and CT scan of chest and torso. The CT scan revealed two tumors – one near my sternum and one in my left breast. 

At that time, my doctor sent me for a mammogram and ultrasound of the breast to get a better look at the tumor. After a breast biopsy (and a biopsy of the tumor near my sternum), both came back as melanoma, putting me directly into stage 4a. And, I never thought I'd say something like this, but I was glad the cancer in my breast was melanoma and not breast cancer because that would have complicated treatment. 

I think my point is that it appears that the CT scan can pick up breast tumors – but mine were pretty large, so I don't know if the mammogram is still better in finding smaller tumors. 

When are you supposed to have your mammogram? Can you delay it until after your scans? It may also be a good idea to ask your doctor directly.

I wish you the best and send you healing thoughts. 

Christine

I can't speak to what you should do, but I can share my recent experience and diagnosis. Maybe it will help? 

After surgery to remove two primary melanomas and full axillary dissection of lymph nodes under my left arm (among a few other things…) I had my brain MRI and CT scan of chest and torso. The CT scan revealed two tumors – one near my sternum and one in my left breast. 

At that time, my doctor sent me for a mammogram and ultrasound of the breast to get a better look at the tumor. After a breast biopsy (and a biopsy of the tumor near my sternum), both came back as melanoma, putting me directly into stage 4a. And, I never thought I'd say something like this, but I was glad the cancer in my breast was melanoma and not breast cancer because that would have complicated treatment. 

I think my point is that it appears that the CT scan can pick up breast tumors – but mine were pretty large, so I don't know if the mammogram is still better in finding smaller tumors. 

When are you supposed to have your mammogram? Can you delay it until after your scans? It may also be a good idea to ask your doctor directly.

I wish you the best and send you healing thoughts. 

Christine

I can't speak to what you should do, but I can share my recent experience and diagnosis. Maybe it will help? 

After surgery to remove two primary melanomas and full axillary dissection of lymph nodes under my left arm (among a few other things…) I had my brain MRI and CT scan of chest and torso. The CT scan revealed two tumors – one near my sternum and one in my left breast. 

At that time, my doctor sent me for a mammogram and ultrasound of the breast to get a better look at the tumor. After a breast biopsy (and a biopsy of the tumor near my sternum), both came back as melanoma, putting me directly into stage 4a. And, I never thought I'd say something like this, but I was glad the cancer in my breast was melanoma and not breast cancer because that would have complicated treatment. 

I think my point is that it appears that the CT scan can pick up breast tumors – but mine were pretty large, so I don't know if the mammogram is still better in finding smaller tumors. 

When are you supposed to have your mammogram? Can you delay it until after your scans? It may also be a good idea to ask your doctor directly.

I wish you the best and send you healing thoughts. 

Christine

You still need your mammogram.  The whole body CT is not detailed enough to compare to a mammogram.  Have you seen a picture of your mammo?  Compare that to the images of your whole body from your CT.  That right there should convince you that the minimal radiation to a boob to get much better quality diagnostics is worth it.  You can have more than once cancer, skipping a mammo isn't worth it.  Your melanoma scans aren't sensitve enough for a breast cancer and if it did pick something up, meand you probably have more advanced breast cancer.

I still got mine at stage IV.  If anything I still get them and breast MRI since I have dense tissue but no longer get scans since I am NED 5 years.  A PET/CT is far more radiation and I have had 9 of them over the years as well as several chest CT's and all the previous chest x-rays.  Compared to that, the mammo is nothing and should still be done.  It is also why I do the combo mammo + breast MRI, one technology doesn't replace the other but enhances it.

Don't worry about mammo radiation, just try to limit your other scans being stage 2A.  Yes you have a legit reason to follow up on your spots, but hopefully isn't anything but misc. garbage in your body.  Another reason why stage 2A don't routinely get scanned.  Too many false positives to chase down, increased anxiety and expense.  If you do manage to have mel, then at least caught it earlier though.

You still need your mammogram.  The whole body CT is not detailed enough to compare to a mammogram.  Have you seen a picture of your mammo?  Compare that to the images of your whole body from your CT.  That right there should convince you that the minimal radiation to a boob to get much better quality diagnostics is worth it.  You can have more than once cancer, skipping a mammo isn't worth it.  Your melanoma scans aren't sensitve enough for a breast cancer and if it did pick something up, meand you probably have more advanced breast cancer.

I still got mine at stage IV.  If anything I still get them and breast MRI since I have dense tissue but no longer get scans since I am NED 5 years.  A PET/CT is far more radiation and I have had 9 of them over the years as well as several chest CT's and all the previous chest x-rays.  Compared to that, the mammo is nothing and should still be done.  It is also why I do the combo mammo + breast MRI, one technology doesn't replace the other but enhances it.

Don't worry about mammo radiation, just try to limit your other scans being stage 2A.  Yes you have a legit reason to follow up on your spots, but hopefully isn't anything but misc. garbage in your body.  Another reason why stage 2A don't routinely get scanned.  Too many false positives to chase down, increased anxiety and expense.  If you do manage to have mel, then at least caught it earlier though.

You still need your mammogram.  The whole body CT is not detailed enough to compare to a mammogram.  Have you seen a picture of your mammo?  Compare that to the images of your whole body from your CT.  That right there should convince you that the minimal radiation to a boob to get much better quality diagnostics is worth it.  You can have more than once cancer, skipping a mammo isn't worth it.  Your melanoma scans aren't sensitve enough for a breast cancer and if it did pick something up, meand you probably have more advanced breast cancer.

I still got mine at stage IV.  If anything I still get them and breast MRI since I have dense tissue but no longer get scans since I am NED 5 years.  A PET/CT is far more radiation and I have had 9 of them over the years as well as several chest CT's and all the previous chest x-rays.  Compared to that, the mammo is nothing and should still be done.  It is also why I do the combo mammo + breast MRI, one technology doesn't replace the other but enhances it.

Don't worry about mammo radiation, just try to limit your other scans being stage 2A.  Yes you have a legit reason to follow up on your spots, but hopefully isn't anything but misc. garbage in your body.  Another reason why stage 2A don't routinely get scanned.  Too many false positives to chase down, increased anxiety and expense.  If you do manage to have mel, then at least caught it earlier though.

I don't know if this will help, it depends on how old you are. But the American Cancer Society just came out (last week I think) with new recommendations for less frequent mammograms. Their new guideline "calls for women starting yearly screening at age 45 instead of 40 and then transitioning to screening every two years starting at age 55." Saw it in a Washington Post article.

– Kyle

I don't know if this will help, it depends on how old you are. But the American Cancer Society just came out (last week I think) with new recommendations for less frequent mammograms. Their new guideline "calls for women starting yearly screening at age 45 instead of 40 and then transitioning to screening every two years starting at age 55." Saw it in a Washington Post article.

– Kyle

I don't know if this will help, it depends on how old you are. But the American Cancer Society just came out (last week I think) with new recommendations for less frequent mammograms. Their new guideline "calls for women starting yearly screening at age 45 instead of 40 and then transitioning to screening every two years starting at age 55." Saw it in a Washington Post article.

– Kyle