CT Scans schedule

I had my gyn/onc appt today and he wants a CA-125 and a ct scan every time I see him... next visit is 4 mo... isn't that a lot of radiation? First scan showed nothing other than some low-attenuated lesions in the liver... He was not concerned about them.
How often do you get ct scans?

so far ive had Ct scan and blood work at 3 months, chest xrayand blood work at 6 month , ct scan & blood work at 9 and my next is jst xray and blood work again, etc. which my dr said would continue the first 2 years. He showed me the scan and what is is they are looking for, which made me better understand the need. I gues i'm comfortable with that. and as long as he keeps finding nothing to be concernd about i will be happy with that. I just figure these first 2 years especially are crucial in catching any reoccurane as early as possible.

hi pattie...i had a different cancer than you which probably makes a difference in followup protocol. my gyn/onc has only asked me to come in every 4 mos. for a physical exam (pelvic/rectal), no bloodwork and no scans. i asked him about that (and his residents that have been doing followups) and they all say they don't find those diagnostic tests useful unless something is found during physical exam or i have suspicious symptoms. on my own i've asked my family dr. to order ca125 (which i pay for myself), just for some peace of mind, even though it could be a false sense of security if the # is low and anxiety if the # is high. my family dr. will do the yearly pap as i still have my cervix...have had one so far.

i have heard that the c.t. scan does deliver a lot of radiation, moreso than a chest x-ray. your gyn/onc must have a good reason for being so cautious. do you have the pelvic/rectal exam as well? hope you got good results again. please let us know. best wishes to you.
colleen.

He said he didn't find anything... I did bleed after the pap, which I haven't bled at all since surgery or sex, so I found that kind of strange... I asked how the cuff looked and he said fine... He did do a pelvic. No rectal.. I am calling the pa today and ask about the tests being done so often... I think it is time for me to put my foot down again.. I would probably get cancer again just from all the radiation.

I have a problem regarding scans, because of the different opinions of two doctors. My gyn/onc, who did my surgery, only wanted scans every six months. My onc., who did my chemo (locally, the surgeon is 2-1/2 hrs away) wanted scans every three months. I had a scan 1/2 thru the chemo, in Feb, which showed a decrease in the size of the lymph nodes that were previously enlarged. I had another scan after completing my chemo, in May, and it showed no evidence of disease. When the onc. found out that my insurance, which is basically catastrophic, would not cover the the scans once I was done with chemo he suggested waiting six months, which is fine with me. I do see the gyn/onc every three months for the CA-125 blood test and a pelvic/rectal exam.

I don't really think that having scans every four months, as your doctor has recommend will give you around bout with cancer. I have read of many, many women who go thru these scans on a fairly frequent basis in the first year, and then they decrease the frequency over a period of time, and they do not end up with another cancer from the radiation.

that is a lot of radiation your right I go only every 2 years by choice, to much radation for me

Oh My....that DOES sound like alot of radiation. It is my understanding with MY drs that I will only have to have one every 6 months or so for 2 years unless suspicious symptoms rear their ugly head. I will definately be asking to make sure. Every 3 months IS alot of radiation but atleast you didn't have to have radiation as part of your treatment plan...that's a plus......
I would be talking to them about this.....

bj444:
From all of our posts, we know the doctors have very different opinions of what to do... I am wondering if he is being more vigilant since I didn't do the preventative chemo? Although the first ct scan showed no problems whatsoever.
NoGreat:
I am concerned wiht the radiation, but also the cost... As others have said if there are no suspicious symptoms, why do it so often... The next one will be fully covered as I am already at my limit for paying, but next Jan, it will be 800 out of pocket... and he didn't even really comment on it.. .I had to ask him about it and the results.

I also agree that is a lot of radiation. I believe I read somewhere that the radiation in a CT scan is quite a bit higher than that of a chest x-ray (I'm thinking 500 times greater but I could be wrong on that). I was originally scheduled to have a yearly CT scan after my diagnosis of granulosa cell tumor. However, my new gyn/onc has moved it to every other year because he felt that was too much radiation for someone my age (56).

Here is a link to an article on the amount of radiation in a ct scan:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in639707.shtml

You can also google "amount of radiation in a ct scan" and get numerous articles. I've decided to get the next ct scan in a year as scheduled, but if it shows no problem I'm going to see if I can move to every 5 years unless I develop symptoms. I'd ask why your dr is insiting on doing so many scans. Even with insurance they are quite expensive, and they do pose a health risk, especially if overused. Good luck, Chris P

Thanks for the link Chris... I am waiting to hear from them as I write...