Different scans for different mets?

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Hi, 

I was diagnosed with secondaries in my pelvic bone two weeks ago. I haven’t started treatment yet as the onc wants to see the results of my scans first and hopefully do a biopsy. I have started bisphosphonate.

 

Yesterday I had a contrast chest CT and full body MRI. In reading these forums I have noticed all sorts of different types or combinations of scans ordered by the oncologist.

 

My question is this: What governs the type of scan you are given? Is it the kind of mets you have, or merely what the oncologist likes to use? Just curious as some of the scans used seem a bit random. 

 

Thanks, Cherry

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Hi cherryorchard and firstly I’d like to welcome you to the place none of us want to be in! I hope you find some useful information and inspiring stories on this part of the forum.
I was dx in 2008 with bone mets and they were picked up on a bone scan. I then went on to have a CT scan to see if any organs were involved, luckily at that time they weren’t. I was told that subsequent scans would be CT as the bone scan tends to be for diagnostic use rather than for progress/treatment checks, possibly because of the use of the nuclear dye used. So, since then I have had regular CT scans which have varied in the time between depending how stable my disease has been. For 5 years I had no progression in my bones but last year a CT scan noted that it had gone to my liver. Since being on Capecitabine from last year I have had 3 monthly CT scans to see how the treatment is going and, touching wood, it is working well on my mets. Different hospitals and oncologists do seem to have different views on this, some use tumour markers as an indicator of cancer activity, but others rely on scans. Hopefully you will get some other answers which will help but there doesn’t seem to be one defined method! All very confusing for you I’m sure in this horrible place you find yourself in. Have a check out on the Celebrate thread and some of the Inspiring Stories as they will help you realise that life does go on after a bone mets diagnosis.
Nicky x