Hello to everyone, this is my first post so forgive me if it all goes wrong, but I wonder if there are ladies who can help me.
I’m now a year on since diagnosis, I’ve had oncoplasty, lumpectomy, chemo and radiotherapy. At the very begining I was told that I would have a scan when I had finished treatment due to the cancer being stage 2 grade 3. However when the time came I was told by my new consultant (the previous one having left)that It had been decided that it was’nt necessary, due to cost to the NHS. There is nothing in my notes to say that I was told I would in the first place! I’ve decided for my own peace of mind to pay privately for a scan, I’m sure I will be told what is necessary but being a little sceptical of private healthcare and maybe ending up paying for some tests which I do not need, what scans have others had?
I do have an appointment for a mammagram shortly, but I want to be as sure as I can be that the cancer hasnt ventured elsewhere. Help.
I think the standard combination of scans is a CT scan and a bone scan. The CT scan will be for organs, and can also detect tumours in bone if they are above a few mms in size. Bone scans will pick up any areas of high cellular activity, including tumours too small to be picked up by a CT scans, but also including injury, arthritis etc.
Having just had a bone scan done privately but by the NHS I can tell you that the cost was £336, if that is any help. CT scans are quite a lot more, but I haven’t had my bill through for that yet.
ellielou i am 10 months from dx finished my treatment 1st nov and apart from ct scan for radiotherapy planning my consultant also doesnt do scans routinely unless there are other problems and symptoms her explanation was not cost but it is yet another high dose of gamma rays which is uneccesary as our bodies can only take a certain level of radiation in a lifetime which is why you can only have it to the same part of body once. they dont do routine bloods or tumour markers either but my gp did check all my bloods after treatment finished so that is all ive had too .
I for one wasn’t given any scans at all after treatment, apart from annual mammograms (which I had to chase up!) I now have quite extensive mets to my bones and liver. I feel quite strongly that those of us who are high risk of recurrance should have been given yearly scans. It must be a cost issue and if I knew then what I knew now, I would have fought to have scans.
Sorry I can’t help you with costs, but want to say that I agree with you going for them!
Like Nicky, I have secondaries although only in my bones and they were diagnosed along with spread to lymph at diagnosis in July 07. I have only ever had bone scans to monitor my mets, never a ct or mri, although my onc is going to do my first ct scan soon so it’s on file as a baseline for the future.
I cannot help but think that if scans were done for primary ladies after all their treatment had finished, it would be a check that may save lives in the future. A friend died last week, at the age of 40 leaving a husband and 2 young children, after being diagnosed with liver mets just over a year ago - one month after being told at a checkup she was NED. We discussed this topic several times and although she didn’t criticise the medics looking after her, I do wonder if a scan say 6 months after treatment had finished would have saved her life.
At the bottom of all of this though is cost, with the amount of radiation in second place. My onc does my bone scans 6 months apart for safety.