› Forums › General Melanoma Community › HELP Reading PET Scan Results
- This topic has 15 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 7 months ago by
JustMeInCA.
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- October 29, 2014 at 3:04 pm
Hi Everyone-
I was DX with Melanoma In-situ in March of this year. To give you the history I had a severly atypical mole on my forehead that was removed with a shave biopsy in Nov of 2012 & my Derm at that time told me it was begin & no further treatment was needded. I only just found out that it was actually severly atypical & the Pathologiest recommened that it be removed via completed excision. This was not dont & it grew back. I went in to my new Derm in Feb of this year & she sent me to plastic suregy for removal & 2 surgeries later it was completly removed. I had found a lymph node in my neck on the same side as they Melanoma so I went to teh Dr & they sent me to Oncology PET Scan, biopsy, etc. The 1st PET was completly normal in April 2014. Now I just went yesterday for a follow up PET & this is what was seen.
Ther are various izes axillary nodes seen with slight uptake the most prominent 13 x 7 mm in the left SUV 1.96 & the most prominent in the right 9 x 6mm SUV 1.61. There is increased uptake in the adnexa slightly larger in the right SUV 5.23 then the left SUV 3.40. There is a linear are of slightly higher uptake at the superior endplate of the bodies of the spine, the highest uptake is seen in T11 SUV 4.03. My referance SUV for mediastinal blood pool is SUV 2.09, Liver SUV 3.51, & Spleen SUV 2.83. Also, they did see several lymph nodes in my cervical region & in my jaw & under my jaw with no abnormal uptake.
Does anyone know what this means? Thank you in advance!!!
Thanks!
Stephanie
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- October 29, 2014 at 4:05 pm
PET scans show metabolic uptake, not just cancer. So infection, trauma, arthritis — all of those things can be seen with a PET scan. I'm honestly totally amazed that any doctor would do a PET scan for someone with in situ melanoma – and even more that they would do a followup scan when the first was normal. Scans find benign beasties all the time – basically why they aren't done for early stage individuals. You then have to "rule out" melanoma — more procedures, more money and rarely melanoma. Honestly, this looks "normal" but your doc needs to do the interpretation based on your medical history.
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- October 29, 2014 at 4:05 pm
PET scans show metabolic uptake, not just cancer. So infection, trauma, arthritis — all of those things can be seen with a PET scan. I'm honestly totally amazed that any doctor would do a PET scan for someone with in situ melanoma – and even more that they would do a followup scan when the first was normal. Scans find benign beasties all the time – basically why they aren't done for early stage individuals. You then have to "rule out" melanoma — more procedures, more money and rarely melanoma. Honestly, this looks "normal" but your doc needs to do the interpretation based on your medical history.
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- October 29, 2014 at 4:05 pm
PET scans show metabolic uptake, not just cancer. So infection, trauma, arthritis — all of those things can be seen with a PET scan. I'm honestly totally amazed that any doctor would do a PET scan for someone with in situ melanoma – and even more that they would do a followup scan when the first was normal. Scans find benign beasties all the time – basically why they aren't done for early stage individuals. You then have to "rule out" melanoma — more procedures, more money and rarely melanoma. Honestly, this looks "normal" but your doc needs to do the interpretation based on your medical history.
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- October 30, 2014 at 11:01 pm
Hi Stephanie hope you are doing Ok!!!! You started a very interesting conversation about scans and access to information. My 2 cents on the subject is I like having the Oncologist view of the scans with the report. I get scanned every 6 weeks on the Ipi and Nivo trial that I am on. My scan in July had an error, pretty big one and the Oncologist explained what it was and that it would be fixed in my file. The report was for the wrong person and if I had read it alone, I probably would have had a freak out momment, since it showed progression of tumors in the Liver. I wish you the best of luck in the future!!!! Ed
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- October 31, 2014 at 6:21 pm
Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply!!! I like to get my questions ready as well after seeing all the places that have SUV uptake etc as I ha no uptake on my PET in April. I now get a copy of everything that I have done as soon as I can since I was misdiaginosed by my 1st Derm I have no faith that I will be given the correct information anymore unfornatually. I will let you all know how my apt goes next week. Praying for good news although I knida think I will be having more test etc based on these new "Spots"
Thanks everyone & I wish you all the best of luck as well 🙂
Stephanie
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- November 1, 2014 at 8:00 am
Good luck, Stephanie — I'll send a prayer up for you. Please do let us know the results of your doctor visit.
Elaine
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- November 1, 2014 at 8:00 am
Good luck, Stephanie — I'll send a prayer up for you. Please do let us know the results of your doctor visit.
Elaine
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- November 1, 2014 at 8:00 am
Good luck, Stephanie — I'll send a prayer up for you. Please do let us know the results of your doctor visit.
Elaine
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- October 31, 2014 at 6:21 pm
Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply!!! I like to get my questions ready as well after seeing all the places that have SUV uptake etc as I ha no uptake on my PET in April. I now get a copy of everything that I have done as soon as I can since I was misdiaginosed by my 1st Derm I have no faith that I will be given the correct information anymore unfornatually. I will let you all know how my apt goes next week. Praying for good news although I knida think I will be having more test etc based on these new "Spots"
Thanks everyone & I wish you all the best of luck as well 🙂
Stephanie
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- October 31, 2014 at 6:21 pm
Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply!!! I like to get my questions ready as well after seeing all the places that have SUV uptake etc as I ha no uptake on my PET in April. I now get a copy of everything that I have done as soon as I can since I was misdiaginosed by my 1st Derm I have no faith that I will be given the correct information anymore unfornatually. I will let you all know how my apt goes next week. Praying for good news although I knida think I will be having more test etc based on these new "Spots"
Thanks everyone & I wish you all the best of luck as well 🙂
Stephanie
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- October 30, 2014 at 11:01 pm
Hi Stephanie hope you are doing Ok!!!! You started a very interesting conversation about scans and access to information. My 2 cents on the subject is I like having the Oncologist view of the scans with the report. I get scanned every 6 weeks on the Ipi and Nivo trial that I am on. My scan in July had an error, pretty big one and the Oncologist explained what it was and that it would be fixed in my file. The report was for the wrong person and if I had read it alone, I probably would have had a freak out momment, since it showed progression of tumors in the Liver. I wish you the best of luck in the future!!!! Ed
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- October 30, 2014 at 11:01 pm
Hi Stephanie hope you are doing Ok!!!! You started a very interesting conversation about scans and access to information. My 2 cents on the subject is I like having the Oncologist view of the scans with the report. I get scanned every 6 weeks on the Ipi and Nivo trial that I am on. My scan in July had an error, pretty big one and the Oncologist explained what it was and that it would be fixed in my file. The report was for the wrong person and if I had read it alone, I probably would have had a freak out momment, since it showed progression of tumors in the Liver. I wish you the best of luck in the future!!!! Ed
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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