dexa scan and DCIS cancer

agada

Good Morning,

My Dr. wants me to have a dexa scan first thing next week.  He said my vitamin D level was very low and this can exacerbate breast cancer. Will a dexa scan show cancer spread to the bone? I had/have DCIS (once again) pN0(i+) breast cancer.  This has me scared now. I know it will show bone loss if I have that.  Is it a reliable test? Thanks.

Agada

Leah_S

Agada, a dexa scan measures bone density. Your doc might be concerned about this if your Vit. D is low since our bones can't absorb calcium properly without Vit. D and/or magnesium to give it a boost.

Best of luck.

Leah

Anne888

Agada, I just wanted to second what Leah said - a DEXA scan is strictly to measure bone density, not to look for cancer.  But I am confused by your diagnosis.  If you had two positive nodes, I'm assuming that you had another, invasive cancer in addition to the DCIS? In any case, don't worry about the DEXA scan showing bone cancer.  And if it shows that your bones are thinning, there are a number of steps you can take to strengthen them. 

agada

I was told that there was no invasive cancer but no other testing was done for it.

agada

I was told that there was no invasive cancer but no other testing was done for it.

cycle-path

Agada, I think you may be confusing the terms "bone scan" and "DEXA scan." A bone scan is (I think) used to see if any cancer has spread to your bones.

You say you were told there you had no invasive cancer, but your sig line says "2/6 nodes" which means that the surgeon removed 6 lymph nodes and found cancer in 2 of them. Is your sig incorrect? 

agada

Yes, it is correct.  my biopsy report showed that I am pn0(i+).  Mets could not be determined at the time and no further testing was done.  I am having a Dexa scan of all things and it will be of my torso.  Strange.  My co-worker had one done and she said they only did her ankles and everything came back fine. 

Anne888

The Dexa scan of your torso will examine your hip joints and your spine.  I believe that this is considered more accurate than just checking the ankles.  Broken hips are a common cause for loss of independence among older women, so it's very important to know hip density.  I'm still confused about your sig line indicating two positive nodes.  DCIS is by definition non-invasive, so would not be able to travel to your nodes.  Positive nodes would have come from an invasive cancer.  If you didn't have an invasive cancer, your nodes should be clear.  Are you absolutely sure that your path report indicated two positive nodes?

agada

Oh, I am sure the path report said two nodes with loose cells in them.  One "clump", the largest, was less that 1.3 mm in size.  This made me pn0(i+) which is supposed to be node negative.  I have read that report at least a dozen times. The dr's still think it could have come from the surgery pushing cells into the lymph nodes.  Still worried about that tho.  I am afraid they can spread after that.  Thank you for clearing up the torso part of the dexa scan for me. Nothing to be afraid of dexa scan wise.

Agada