When will the scan?

IMO it seems like the logical plan would be to have one at about 3 months but I'm not sure if that is standard or if someone's insurance would support that timeline.  Your question got me thinking of my own timeline and it looks like I had my disection in Sep 11 and had my first scan in Mar 12 so it looks like I was on a six month plan.  Not sure if that's the norm or not.  I did notice I had a Brain MRI at about the same time of the disection but that was because of some headaches I was having.  Hope this helps.

Brian

IMO it seems like the logical plan would be to have one at about 3 months but I'm not sure if that is standard or if someone's insurance would support that timeline.  Your question got me thinking of my own timeline and it looks like I had my disection in Sep 11 and had my first scan in Mar 12 so it looks like I was on a six month plan.  Not sure if that's the norm or not.  I did notice I had a Brain MRI at about the same time of the disection but that was because of some headaches I was having.  Hope this helps.

Brian

IMO it seems like the logical plan would be to have one at about 3 months but I'm not sure if that is standard or if someone's insurance would support that timeline.  Your question got me thinking of my own timeline and it looks like I had my disection in Sep 11 and had my first scan in Mar 12 so it looks like I was on a six month plan.  Not sure if that's the norm or not.  I did notice I had a Brain MRI at about the same time of the disection but that was because of some headaches I was having.  Hope this helps.

Brian

I had WLE on the 10/24. 3 nodes positive. Then I was scheduled for a PET/CT because Doc said if evidence of disease was found beyond lymph nodes the bi lateral inguinal dissection would not be performed. We'd go straight to treatment. Scan came back clean and I had the dissection on 12/29. (This was all in 2012)

I had WLE on the 10/24. 3 nodes positive. Then I was scheduled for a PET/CT because Doc said if evidence of disease was found beyond lymph nodes the bi lateral inguinal dissection would not be performed. We'd go straight to treatment. Scan came back clean and I had the dissection on 12/29. (This was all in 2012)

I had WLE on the 10/24. 3 nodes positive. Then I was scheduled for a PET/CT because Doc said if evidence of disease was found beyond lymph nodes the bi lateral inguinal dissection would not be performed. We'd go straight to treatment. Scan came back clean and I had the dissection on 12/29. (This was all in 2012)

My personnal opinion is that if one is stage IIB or greater a baseline PET/CT should be performed. And at ;least a chest x-ray withing three months of finding plositive lymph nodes.I had a 7 1/2 lymph node operation on Jan 25th.  A PET shortly there after found nothing.  A month after the grooin lymph node operation a check x-ray contained suspidous nodules. A CT in March found innumerable, rapidly growing nodules in both my lungs.  My general oncoloogist gave me 30-180 days to live.  i immedeiatley jumped for IL-2 treatments .  Still here.  8 years later.

My personnal opinion is that if one is stage IIB or greater a baseline PET/CT should be performed. And at ;least a chest x-ray withing three months of finding plositive lymph nodes.I had a 7 1/2 lymph node operation on Jan 25th.  A PET shortly there after found nothing.  A month after the grooin lymph node operation a check x-ray contained suspidous nodules. A CT in March found innumerable, rapidly growing nodules in both my lungs.  My general oncoloogist gave me 30-180 days to live.  i immedeiatley jumped for IL-2 treatments .  Still here.  8 years later.

My personnal opinion is that if one is stage IIB or greater a baseline PET/CT should be performed. And at ;least a chest x-ray withing three months of finding plositive lymph nodes.I had a 7 1/2 lymph node operation on Jan 25th.  A PET shortly there after found nothing.  A month after the grooin lymph node operation a check x-ray contained suspidous nodules. A CT in March found innumerable, rapidly growing nodules in both my lungs.  My general oncoloogist gave me 30-180 days to live.  i immedeiatley jumped for IL-2 treatments .  Still here.  8 years later.

I had my SLNB on 7/3/12 and path report completed on 7/9/12 which placed me at stage 3a. My (general) oncologist at the time recommended interferon. I was fortunate enough to find my way to SCCA, a melanoma center of excellence. My new (melanoma) oncologist ordered a CT scan which was completed on 7/20/12. I never did receive interferon.

Skipping forward closer to now I had a period of 10 months when no scan was done (because previous scans before had not shown progression). During that 10 months I want from stage 3c (I was 3c because of an earlier recurrence) to stage 4.

I was fortunate that even though I now had tumors in lungs, liver and gallbladder that they were not huge, so my tumor burden was low. I was put on Yervoy and I am now on Keytruda. Both of those treatments are more effective when the tumor burden is low. So in my opinion it is better to get 3 month scans once you have progressed to stage 3, so that you can begin treatment with an immunotherapy drug ASAP when the tumor load is small and you have the best chance of success.

However, the radiation from a PET is significant, and cumulative, so there must be a point where the risk from the continued exposure to radiation outweighs the risk of a recurrence. Maybe someone else can weigh in on when that point might be (two years maybe?).

I had my SLNB on 7/3/12 and path report completed on 7/9/12 which placed me at stage 3a. My (general) oncologist at the time recommended interferon. I was fortunate enough to find my way to SCCA, a melanoma center of excellence. My new (melanoma) oncologist ordered a CT scan which was completed on 7/20/12. I never did receive interferon.

Skipping forward closer to now I had a period of 10 months when no scan was done (because previous scans before had not shown progression). During that 10 months I want from stage 3c (I was 3c because of an earlier recurrence) to stage 4.

I was fortunate that even though I now had tumors in lungs, liver and gallbladder that they were not huge, so my tumor burden was low. I was put on Yervoy and I am now on Keytruda. Both of those treatments are more effective when the tumor burden is low. So in my opinion it is better to get 3 month scans once you have progressed to stage 3, so that you can begin treatment with an immunotherapy drug ASAP when the tumor load is small and you have the best chance of success.

However, the radiation from a PET is significant, and cumulative, so there must be a point where the risk from the continued exposure to radiation outweighs the risk of a recurrence. Maybe someone else can weigh in on when that point might be (two years maybe?).

I had my SLNB on 7/3/12 and path report completed on 7/9/12 which placed me at stage 3a. My (general) oncologist at the time recommended interferon. I was fortunate enough to find my way to SCCA, a melanoma center of excellence. My new (melanoma) oncologist ordered a CT scan which was completed on 7/20/12. I never did receive interferon.

Skipping forward closer to now I had a period of 10 months when no scan was done (because previous scans before had not shown progression). During that 10 months I want from stage 3c (I was 3c because of an earlier recurrence) to stage 4.

I was fortunate that even though I now had tumors in lungs, liver and gallbladder that they were not huge, so my tumor burden was low. I was put on Yervoy and I am now on Keytruda. Both of those treatments are more effective when the tumor burden is low. So in my opinion it is better to get 3 month scans once you have progressed to stage 3, so that you can begin treatment with an immunotherapy drug ASAP when the tumor load is small and you have the best chance of success.

However, the radiation from a PET is significant, and cumulative, so there must be a point where the risk from the continued exposure to radiation outweighs the risk of a recurrence. Maybe someone else can weigh in on when that point might be (two years maybe?).