Hello there! So im now nearing the end of my active treatment. Have had a lumpectomy with clear margins followed by lymph node removal with 4 nodes affected. After this I had my 8 rounds of chemo, and now started my 4 weeks of radiotherapy. I asked after my chemo finished if i would have a scan but i was told that technically because i was cancer free after the surgery and everything else is just a mop up that i wouldn’t get one. Im feeling really uneasy with this but maybe its common practise and wondered what other people’s experiences were? I did have a further 2 MRI’s on my liver and spine in between surgery and chemo as a CT scan before chemo showed some abnormalities which turned out not to be cancer. Part of me is really scared of getting a scan - scanxiety i suppose! - but part of me feels like i wont really believe im cancer free without one!
Hello @laurapts
I am in a similar position to you in that I’m nearing the end of treatment and have been told I won’t have any more mammograms because I haven’t got boobs any more and no more scans either. I’ve queried this and been told they couldn’t possibly offer yearly scans to everyone who has been treated for breast cancer and isn’t eligible for mammograms.
I have been told I could go for a private chest wall examination which includes a scan at the Nuffield but it’s £600 a time.
However, I’ve also been told I’m still under the breast team’s care for 5 years after finishing treatment and I’m to report anything untoward and will be looked at. I know someone else in my village in my position and she says she has got scanned by saying simply that she thinks something is wrong (I’m not sure what).
My GP wrote to the hospital and said she wanted me scanned regularly to alleviate my anxiety but they have still refused, so I might resort to just saying that I think something is wrong too.
It’s a hard thing to balance - not having the reassurance of a scan against the scanxiety of having one!
Wishing you all the best xx
Thanks for your reply @jayesse! Its a strange feeling isnt it? For me, i just want to ring that bell knowing there is no cancer there! I might try and question it again but it sounds like this is quite common! Best wishes to you too xxx
I was bilateral, one primary invasive tumour in each naughty boob and had lumpectomy first, followed by chemo, Herceptin and radiotherapy. I, like you, was deemed cancer free after successful surgery but it didn’t feel like it with a year of further treatment. I had a mammogram a year after surgery and that was the first time I felt cancer free. At the BCN Moving Forward course many others said that first scan would be the confirmation they were also cancer free.
Many that have mastectomy have nothing to scan with mammogram and have to just look out for recurrence or spread on the advice of their team. I haven’t heard of anyone on NHS treatment being offered another additional scans unless symptoms suggest the need. I have open access to my breast unit for the next five years.
