Had scans on Monday, and got results yesterday: "all clear". ~3.5 years NED from resection, just under 3 yrs NED from end of treatment. Humbly grateful and somewhat amazed at how things have gone so far!
Just had my biannual onc appointment. No problems evident. NED for just under 3 years since surgery. Onc suggested that scan in 6 months might be my last. Steady as she goes.
Here's a data point for you. I'm NED just under 3 years out from surgery to remove what was determined to be a T4 tumor. Plus I had some tumor deposits in the fat outside the colon, making me Stage 3b. Bad risk factor: I found studies showing that the tumor deposits meant a survival curve considerab...
Well, you're partially correct but..... The statistics show that IF a person is going to have a recurrence, then it tends to happen in the first two years. And yes, again IF a recurrence is going to occur, statistics show that 80% of them recur in the first two years. After that, stats show that an...
Iv'e only had PET/CTs. The radiation dose and quality / accuracy of images depend on what CT protocol is used with the PET scan, either a minimal CT scan to get some localization info, or a full diagnostic CT, same as a regular standalone CT. My onc orders the full diagnostic CT to get the most info...
Thanks all for the good wishes. Michelle, yes I remember being your scan buddy last year. That's fantastic that you had a good CT recently...keep it up!
Just a quick update on the PET/CT scan I had last week. My oncologist called me last night. His first words were "Your scan is fine". How do you spell Relief!! :D . One lymph node in my neck lit up somewhat but he is absolutely not concerned about it and thinks its an infection or some oth...
Hi Bussman My wifes line reads almost the same as yours...T4 but no tumour deposits, so she is staged 2b her last CT scan was Dec 2012, and the onc now has her on yearly scans instead of every 6 months Her timeline is almost as yours, just a few months later than yours...resection was April 2011 We...
Hi Bussman, If your staging was/is stage IIIB T4a N1c M0 then you had "regional lymph node metastasis present" I assume. "N1: regional lymph node metastasis present; (at some sites: tumor spread to closest or small number of regional lymph nodes)" Are you doing blood tests at le...
With no lymph involvement you aren't as high risk for recurrence. Each oncologist has a different plan for each patient. But normally for stage III post-treatment scans are every 6 months for 2 years, with labs every 3 months, and then every year after that, with labs every 6 months. Discuss your c...
Hey folks, Haven't been too active around here, just trying to enjoy being NED for a while. Could really use the collective wisdom on the topic of scan frequency. I have a 6 month check-up appointment with my Onc next week and was surprised I didn't get the usual phone call from the scan center to s...
What Fletch is talking about is a T4b t stage, tumor directly extends / infiltrates to adjacent structure/ organ. N1c are discontinuous tumor deposits in the surrounding fat, not a direct extension of the tumor, satellites so to speak, that may be the remnants of LN destroyed by cancer. This single ...
The definition of "Stage III" is that nodes are involved (N>0) so no nodes is by definition Stage II, although the tumour itself may be T3. This is not the case. You can in fact be stage 3 without any positive nodes. If microscopic tumor deposits are found in the fat around the colon, thi...
Traveler- check out the NCCN guidelines. Very detailed explanation of what treatment and surveillance guidelines are for various stages and recurrence....with flow charts. There are patient and health care professional guidelines. This could be considered standard of care, although there may be othe...
Good luck today skifletch...I'm right behind you, so to speak....getting double scoped on Wednesday. You inspired me to document my prep with continuous micro blogging...finally something worth Tweeting about