I feel quite annoyed that all my post breast cancer screening (annual mammograms for 5 years, then a few extras at my request) failed entirely to spot my metastasis. After a routine test (in April) :smileysad:of a cyst I had removed for cosmetic reasons showed up cancer cells, I was given bone scans & CT scans at which point we discovered bone, lung and possibly liver mets. My question is why are post breast cancer patients offered mammograms and not bone scans? When all my research seems to indicate that most common recurrence is in bones? Surely all those mammogrmas I had were a waste of NHS time & money, would have been better to have a bone scan every 5 years possibly? I’m particularly upset that my repeated visits to GP about pain in my upper arm, ribs & sternum did not trigger any alarm bells although in hindsight it seems obvious (bone scan showed quite clearly all the areas I have been having pain). I even went as recently as January for my latest Mammogram with an extra Ultrasound check on my sternum area because I was so concerned about the pain, but results came back as nothing of any concern.
Does anyone else feel this way? Please could someone tell me that their mammograms did pick something up as otherwise it seems they were offered purely to keep me happy while my cancer was merrily growing away inside :smileysad:
Dragon carine
I know it’s annoying isn’t it. …I think looking back that we should have a bone scan annually as like myself many other ladies got missed for bone mets…I had hip pain for a year …dx with sciattica and trapped nerves …and by the time I got scanned it was really settled in causing a cracked pelvis, hole in femur ( had it pinned) and hips like honeycomb. …my mammograms were always clear and I kinda thought that was it !!
Hopefully you will get a good treatment plan now so you can look forward .
Xx
Hi Dragoncarine, I agree, I think the current system of checks is inadequate. Regular blood tests looking for raised TMs would also be a good indicator that further investigation is needed. My original dx was In 2004 stage 3 hormone + her2- I had a mastectomy with lymph nodes clearance followed by chemo rads 5 years tamoxifen and 5 leterazol. After 10 years I was discharged, and told that NICE guidance now only recommended hormone treatment for 10 years and the chances of reassurance after 10 years was minimal, after all the 10 year survival rate is what they measure their success in treating cancer by.
Within 6 months of stopping hormone tablets I started having pain in my hip, I had an MRI and was told I would probably need a hip replacement even though the pain I had was in the wrong place for the hip joint, and they didn’t know why there was so much muscle loss in my hip. The pain continued to increase and 8 months later all my lymph nodes were enlarged and I was sent for scans and a biopsy and told the cancer was back. The CT and bone scan confirmed mets in my pelvis, ribs and lymph nodes.
I do think that if they had left me on hormone treatment, which was obviously working, and had I had regular scans and blood tests I could have remained symptom free from cancer for a lot longer.
Sandra