Nuclear Medicine Bone Scan

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John603
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Nuclear Medicine Bone Scan

Postby John603 » Tue Dec 02, 2008 1:31 pm

This morning I had my annual physical and my PCP ordered a nuclear medicine bone scan which is scheduled for Friday.

I have a couple of questions:

1. Has anyone had one? What was it like? It sounds like a PET scan where there is an injection and then you wait a period of time and then they take pictures with a special camera.

2. I told my PCP that I had just finished 33 days of radiation therapy yesterday. They told me that the radiation would continue to work in my body for another week. Will this interfere with the scan? I am going to call my radiologist, but usually Colon Club is a great source of info.

Thanks
John

Dx Stage IIIC (14 of 36 LNs +) Jan 07, age 42
Colectomy Jan 07
Folfox + Erb'x Mar 07
Recurrence in Lymph Nodes Feb 08
Folfiri + Avastin Apr 08
NED Dec 08
Recurrence in lungs & pelvic LNs May 09
Folfiri/Avastin May 09 - Nov 09
Erb'x/Irino Dec 09

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bradyr
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Location: Redmond, WA

Re: Nuclear Medicine Bone Scan

Postby bradyr » Tue Dec 02, 2008 3:23 pm

I've had this (I have mets in bones in various places) I think I can answer you questions.

Yes, you are correct , this is concept to pet scan - instead of a radioactive form of glucose that is taken up by metabolic active areas in normal tissue, this scan uses a radioactive that mimic's calcuim and is taken up by the bones. The machine that images is a large table with a large box that slowly moves from head to toe lookng for the radition given off. you will eliminate the isopot form your body over about 18 hours via your urine. There is no pain, in fact no senstation at all.

they will give hte shot in the morning, want to eat lunch and then a few hours later (to give the tracer time to enter the bones) the scan takes a little over an hour.

This should have no impact whatever with the other radiaiton treatment.

by the way, when the doctors say that the radiation will continue working - it's not really any radiation left over in your body. The external beam radiation leaves no residual radiation - as soon as hte machine turns off, the radiation is gone. what they really mean is that a large number of cells that weren't killed off immediatlly with the radiation are "walking dead". they have been damaged by the radiation such that can't reproduce, but they are still alive - however they are so damaged, that over the next few days or weeks they will die off. but you aren't radioactive and weren't ever radiactive.

there are some radiaiton treatments where actualy radioactive materials are put in your body body for treatments - like SIRT Spheres or Radioactive Seeds placed in body for rectal cancer. with these, the radioactivity source inplanted in your body does continue to give off radiaton 24 hours a day for several days (depending upon the half-life of the particular material). this type of treatment might interfer with the bone can or pet scan. but that is not what you had.
bradyr
DX 2/07 mets liver/bone/brain/spleen
Foxfox/avastin 3-6/07
bone mets 5 times
xedada 9-7/07
Folfri 1-6/07
GammaKnife brain lesion 1/08
SIRT Spheres rlobe 7/08 llobe 8/08
cyberknife brain 10/08
Brain surgery 1/09
Vebctibix 1-4/09

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John603
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Re: Nuclear Medicine Bone Scan

Postby John603 » Tue Dec 02, 2008 3:45 pm

Thanks Brady for your response.

I just got off the phone with my radiologist and as usual you are absolutely correct. The radiation therapy won't interfere with the bone scan.

How long did you have to hang around between the injection and the scan? How long did the actual scan take?
I have looked at a couple of different sites and it seems like there is a large variation on times. All of them did say that you have to drink a lot of fluids after the injection. It doesn't sound like fun to drink a lot of water and then have to lie still for 60 to 90 minutes.

I am scheduled to start at 8 AM. I hope I get done before lunch.
John

Dx Stage IIIC (14 of 36 LNs +) Jan 07, age 42
Colectomy Jan 07
Folfox + Erb'x Mar 07
Recurrence in Lymph Nodes Feb 08
Folfiri + Avastin Apr 08
NED Dec 08
Recurrence in lungs & pelvic LNs May 09
Folfiri/Avastin May 09 - Nov 09
Erb'x/Irino Dec 09

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living skies
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Location: Canada

Re: Nuclear Medicine Bone Scan

Postby living skies » Tue Dec 02, 2008 4:51 pm

My husband had this done. He was given injection then told us to go have lunch (or whatever) drink lots of water and come back in about 90 minutes. the test itself took about 30 minutes if I remember right. You should be done by lunch.

Judy
living skies
caregiver to husband
stage 1 rectal cancer 06/06
resection, permanent colostomy
mets to lungs 04/08, stage 4
folfiri,leucovorin and avastin started 10/08 , 52 rounds
10/11 progression in lung mets, change chemo to folfox
age 62

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John603
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Re: Nuclear Medicine Bone Scan

Postby John603 » Tue Dec 02, 2008 5:54 pm

Brady,

Another question popped into my mind this afternoon. Do you know if you can get a PET Scan after a bone scan? I think you have to wait 6 months in between PET Scans, but I'm not sure if the tracer they use for a bone scan would cause the similar situation. I haven't had a Pet Scan since last Feb, and I'm not sure when I'll need one again.
John

Dx Stage IIIC (14 of 36 LNs +) Jan 07, age 42
Colectomy Jan 07
Folfox + Erb'x Mar 07
Recurrence in Lymph Nodes Feb 08
Folfiri + Avastin Apr 08
NED Dec 08
Recurrence in lungs & pelvic LNs May 09
Folfiri/Avastin May 09 - Nov 09
Erb'x/Irino Dec 09

weisssoccermom
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Re: Nuclear Medicine Bone Scan

Postby weisssoccermom » Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:36 pm

John,

It's really easy. I had the injection and since I don't live too far away (about 5 - 10 minutes) I went home and came back about 2-3 hours later, laid down on the table and the machine did the rest. I remember being freaked out a little because my bone scan was originally intended only for my foot (having problems from a previous injury) but when they found out that I had had cancer - WHAM - a full body scan was ordered and not by my doctor! Apparently that's protocol but it scared me to death because I was SURE that they knew something I didn't! I don't like having my arms and legs strapped down so I avoided that but otherwise it was a piece of cake. I don't think my scan took more than 30 - 45 minutes. The machine just goes over the top of you. It did get rather close up by my head/face which was a little creepy but really no big deal.

BTW-do you live in Londonderry?? Saw your other post. I lived in Londonderry - right near the Windham line - years ago. Used to take I-93 down to Charlestown and get on the "T" - orange line if I remember correctly - at Sullivan Square and commute to work at Fidelity. What memories!!! Where is the new Farber sattelite in Londonderry? I'm sure the whole area has changed sooo much I would hardly recognize it.

Anyway, no big deal on the bone scan. FYI - I have had 10+ orthopedic surgeries and everywhere that I had a surgery the bone scan 'lit up' . Also, if you have arthritis, it oftentimes lights up for that also. Just don't get too freaked out if you see your 'skeleton' on the computer monitor with all these 'hot spots' on it if you have any of these problems like I do. Until the radiologist explained it to me I was freaking out!

Jaynee
Dx 6/22/2006 IIA rectal cancer
6 wks rad/Xeloda -finished 9/06
1st attempt transanal excision 11/06
11/17/06 XELOX 1 cycle
5 months Xeloda only Dec '06 - April '07
10+ blood clots, 1 DVT 1/07
transanal excision 4/20/07 path-NO CANCER CELLS!
NED now and forever!
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sharonr
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Re: Nuclear Medicine Bone Scan

Postby sharonr » Wed Dec 03, 2008 12:41 am

Brady asked me to respond for him since he had chemo today and he isn't feeling well. The half life of the isotope used for the bone scan is only a few hours so a Pet scan in a couple of weeks but definitely a month will be fine. You can double check with the radiologist .
Bradyr's wife
DX 2/07 mets liver/bone/brain/spleen
Foxfox/avastin 3-6/07
xedada 9-7/07
Folfri 1-6/07
GammaKnife brain lesion 1/08
SIRT Spheres rlobe 7/08 llobe 8/08
cyberknife brain 10/08
Brain surgery 1/09
Vebctibix 1-4/09
Passed Away 5/21/2009

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John603
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Re: Nuclear Medicine Bone Scan

Postby John603 » Wed Dec 03, 2008 9:39 am

Hi Jaynee,

I do live in Londonderry. It always amazes me how small the world is. The new Dana Farber facility is in the Elliott satellite
building which was built on an old horse farm behind the Homestead restaurant. How long ago did you live in Londonderry?
John

Dx Stage IIIC (14 of 36 LNs +) Jan 07, age 42
Colectomy Jan 07
Folfox + Erb'x Mar 07
Recurrence in Lymph Nodes Feb 08
Folfiri + Avastin Apr 08
NED Dec 08
Recurrence in lungs & pelvic LNs May 09
Folfiri/Avastin May 09 - Nov 09
Erb'x/Irino Dec 09

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John603
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Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2008 11:54 am
Location: New Hampshire

Re: Nuclear Medicine Bone Scan

Postby John603 » Wed Dec 03, 2008 9:40 am

Sharon,

Thanks for the response. I hope Brady is feeling better.
John

Dx Stage IIIC (14 of 36 LNs +) Jan 07, age 42
Colectomy Jan 07
Folfox + Erb'x Mar 07
Recurrence in Lymph Nodes Feb 08
Folfiri + Avastin Apr 08
NED Dec 08
Recurrence in lungs & pelvic LNs May 09
Folfiri/Avastin May 09 - Nov 09
Erb'x/Irino Dec 09

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bradyr
Posts: 1138
Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:19 pm
Location: Redmond, WA

Re: Nuclear Medicine Bone Scan

Postby bradyr » Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:22 pm

yeah - it's just the 1st day that really wipes me out because the give me a shot for nausau during hte infusion that basically knocks me completely for 6 or so hours..

you normally get an injection of Technetium-99 as the radioactive isotope. it's raidoactive half-life is around 6 hours - whihc means by the next day it's only putting out 1/16th the amount of radiaton and by the 4th day you are like less than 1/4000th of radiaton. so as I double check, but I can't belive after a week or so there is anything left to be detected by the pet scan - good question however (the fustrated nuclear science in me says )

point other point I didn't make - which I assume your doctors know which is why thay are talking about both bone scan and pt scan. This falls into the heading and none of the machines is a machine find cancer machine - each have limits and are very dependant on the doctors reading the results - but anyway, a bone scan will also light up for arthritis - which a pet scan which will not. but of course a pet scan will show other non-cancer, in the bone such as small healing activty around fractions or infection - so each machine has it's pluses and weakness.
bradyr
DX 2/07 mets liver/bone/brain/spleen
Foxfox/avastin 3-6/07
bone mets 5 times
xedada 9-7/07
Folfri 1-6/07
GammaKnife brain lesion 1/08
SIRT Spheres rlobe 7/08 llobe 8/08
cyberknife brain 10/08
Brain surgery 1/09
Vebctibix 1-4/09

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John603
Posts: 942
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2008 11:54 am
Location: New Hampshire

Re: Nuclear Medicine Bone Scan

Postby John603 » Wed Dec 03, 2008 4:09 pm

Hi Brady,

I really appreciate your knowledge on this. My PCP is ordering the bone scan because I have been having pain/soreness in my hips, lower back, and neck. I personally think it is a side effect of the chemo and radiation that I have had this year or arthritis, but he wants to be sure that nothing is going on with the cancer. The PET Scan question was mine. There are no plans to do one, but I want to be sure that I'm not limiting myself should I need one in the near future. My last scans were a CT Scan in Jan 08 and a PET Scan in Feb 08. I meet with my oncologist next week and I expect he will schedule a scan in Jan 09.

John
John

Dx Stage IIIC (14 of 36 LNs +) Jan 07, age 42
Colectomy Jan 07
Folfox + Erb'x Mar 07
Recurrence in Lymph Nodes Feb 08
Folfiri + Avastin Apr 08
NED Dec 08
Recurrence in lungs & pelvic LNs May 09
Folfiri/Avastin May 09 - Nov 09
Erb'x/Irino Dec 09


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