For anyone with a recurrence...question

wrsmith2x

When you were diagnosed with a recurrence were you scanned head to toe to ensure that the BEAST was no where else in your body?  When I had my recurrence I was given a bone scan and an MRI.  But the MRI was only from my chest to my thighs.  Why wouldn't they auto scan my head in MRI?  I know that the odds of brain mets are slim but since you are already scanning why not do that too?

Were you scanned head to toe after your recurrence? 

minxie

I was given a PET/CT scan, which I was assuming was my whole body? Now you've got me wondering as well...

bevin

HI Minxie - Pet/CT scans are normally noes to toes... per my Oncologist. Hope that helps.

netty46

Pet scans for breast cancer are done thru mapping the nodes. If the nodes in your neck light up then they would do a brain MRI. That's what the tech explained.

glostagirl

Yes, my scans after recurrence included a brain scan which was done seperate from the other scans.  I was treated at MGH in Boston.

netty46

How could you have 2 sentinel biopsies on same breast I thought second time they do auxiliary node dissection?

wrsmith2x

I asked the surgeon to only take the next node in the line and not to take all nodes. He took the closest one to BMX area and it was negative. So technically it is not a 2nd sentinel node.

TectonicShift

I had to ask for the brain scan. I said, "My grandmother's breast cancer spread to her brain, so I want a brain scan." And I got it. But I had to ask specifically.

netty46

Another test they run with recurrence and I had to have it was a MRI of entire spine with and without contrast. Lord 8 hours long .