Is it an advantage to find bone mets early?

gerrib

I have had a bone scan today as I have had a burning sensation in my sacral area for a few months. From my reading it must be advantageous to find bone mets early so that bone strengtheners can do their work.

But I wonder why there is the attitude not to scan unless there are symptoms? It seems that many women only find out they have secondaries when they have a spontaneous fracture. 

After my diagnosis of IDC Grade 2 with lymphovascular involvement I only had a chest Xray and upper abdominal ultrasound to see if I had spread.

Can anyone explain why bone scans aren't done routinely for IDC?

Thanks

CherylinOhio

My onc won't do a scan until there are symptoms.  That being said I have seen on here that some women find bone mets by getting a scan for something else entirely and they no had no symptoms like pain.  My onc also says there is no advantage to finding mets early. Once it's there it's there. I for one would want to know as early as possible so I could begin treatment.  The rationale for not continuly doing scans is that constantly being scanned could acutally do more harm by possible awakening other cancer cells because of the high levels of radation used in the scans, at least that is what my onc says.  

wildrumara

Two weeks after my diagnosis I had a PET/CT and MRI of my body to check for any mets.  These were ordered by my breast surgeon.  My MO said a bone scan would not be ordered unless I have symptoms.   I'm glad that I had those imaging studies in the beginning.....although, they wouldn't pick up very small deposits of cancer from what I've read......I had two positive nodes that were not picked up on MRI or PET. 

diana50

I was 10 and half years out. No scans but blood work every 6 months. Tumor marker had been always stable for 10 years. In august it doubled. PET scan showed one met in my T4 vertebra. One met. Getting rads to cancer , femara and monthly zometa for two years. I find it easier to fight one met then a bunch of them. I am praying for NED by December. I had no pain or symptoms. If Onc wasn't doing TM I would not have known about the progression, easily could have gone into next year where it could have been worse. Cancer is sneaky. Too many scans are not good for kidneys that is why they don't do them unless a symptom.



That is all I know. Hang in

Leah_S

My mets were found in a scan that was done as part of pre-op preparation for a planned prophy mx (after first mx, chemo, rads). However, from what my onc has said, symptoms would have appeared within a few months so the  prognosis is not changed.

Scans involve a lot of radiation, so most oncs prefer not to use them in the absence of symptoms. While it is true that sometimes bone mets are found following a spontaneous fracture, most of the time the symptom leading to dx is pain.

Leah

CoolBreeze

It's counterintuitive, but there really is no advantage to finding mets early. The treatment goals between early stage and metastatic disease are completely different.



With early stage, you do the most aggressive treatment warranted for your cancer type in hopes of a cure. When you have mets, you get palliative care; treatment that keeps you alive but still gives you quality of life. All you can do when it's mets is try to beat it back and stay alive a few months longer.



There is little difference between finding it before you are symptomatic or when you become symptomatic. Cancer won't show up on scans until it is close to being symptomatic anyway.



Psychologically, it may seem easier to fight one met, but it all depends on the met. If you have a stubborn one that doesn't respond to any treatment, it can be more dangerous than fighting ten mets that do respond.



However, in the end, we with mets all die and it truly doesn't matter how early they are found. It doesn't buy us more time, our cancer either responds to treatment or it doesn't.



The mets merry-go-round is a pretty horrible one to be on. I'd avoid it as long as possible.