Hi everyone.
I’m looking for some info/advice on a DEXA scan. I’m due to have one in a couple of weeks to measure bone density before I start letrozole in January.
my question is whether these scans will also pick up bone cancer. I have extreme scan anxiety, and if it could pick up cancer I want to put it off till after Christmas as I need a bit of non anxious time with my three year old after this year. Can anyone advise me on this?
You could ask about this in the Ask the Nurses section but I think they purely look at bone density , they concentrate on a small area of your body ( in my case my upper leg ) and take a measurement .
I hate scans too , I think they actually told me then and there that the scan was ok unlike other scans I’ve had .
You could also ask your breast care nurse if you have one .
I also have very present scananxiety. I’ve always had it in fact and getting diagnosed with breast cancer hasn’t helped me to say the least. So in saying that I’ve researched the DEXA test because I, too, have my first one coming up before Christmas (along with a mapping MRI for reconstruction so yippee for me). The first thing to say is that it is not used for cancer detection and is solely used for bone density measurement. The next thing to say is that it will be part of our lives until we die. Thanks to hormone therapy we will always have to be monitored bone wise even after we’re done with it. Third thing to say is that yes, theoretically it could possibly spot something else going on. Anytime they look inside of you there’s a chance of finding something they aren’t looking for. There’s no way to get around that reality and believe me I’ve tried. However, I can’t find one person on-line who has had a metastasis diagnosed with a DEXA scan. So there’s that. If you want to postpone it until after Christmas because of the miniscule risk, then IMO that’s valid and you should talk with your oncologist about it. I’ve thought about it, too. But here’s why I haven’t and won’t. Rationally speaking if my scans find a cancer they aren’t looking for, it’s not like avoiding the scans make the cancer go away. It’s there no matter what and I’ll have to deal with it. Yes, my Christmas might be ruined but I’m dreading the scans either way. They’re hanging over me and I want them over with, too, before Christmas. The dread of them sucks. I can’t tell you what you should do in this case and it depends of course on what your oncologist thinks is best. But scans are going to be a part of my life now and for me I figure might as well get this particular round over with.