Why do some get Bone scans?

Public Archive
1

Hi

Not sure where to post this but just wanted to ask why is it I see that some women who are diagnosed with Grade 3 tumour seemingly get a bone scan too?

I am/was grade 3 with 2 lymph nodes involved. I didn’t ask for my prognosis as I don’t do stats but am wondering now if I had would it had lead to further investigations?

Any ideas why some people do and others don’t?

Many Thanks

Paula x

2

Hi, I was grade 3 with one node involved and Her2+. My surgeon only sent me for a chest x-ray before passing me on to oncology. I’ve had 2 oncologists who have both said they did not expect the cancer to be anywhere else and this is why they wouldn’t recommend any scans. Same thing was told to me by a relative who is an oncology Professor; he said if there were any cancer cells still in my body they would be too tiny to be detected; apparently they have to form a mass the size of the nail on your little finger to show up.

3

Thanks Cherub…my BC nurse also said that it is not important as to whether there is vascular invasion or not as the chemo will do the trick and kill any straying cells!!!

How are you Cherub?

Thanks

P x

4

Hi Paula

I only get a bone scan when my spine starts playing up again (which it has done recently). I was told by my oncologist that it’s not always easy to compare bone scans… Whether that’s right or not I don’t know but they’ve certainly come up trumps for me and have just finished another lot of rads.

Pinkdove

5

Hi Paula

My cancer was grade 3, 4cm in size with one lymph node involved. I had a bone scans, CT scans and chest xrays which were all clear but it is still possible that some cells have escaped and gone walkies which the scans won’t show up.

Ruby

6

Hi Paula,

I think it depends on where you are being treated. Each hospital has its own policy. Mine doesn’t scan unless you have symptoms to suggest there are secondaries.

7

Hi ,
I was never offered a scan and have asked why and tried to push for it but now I have accepted the doctors opinion that anything would be too small to detect if there was anything out there plus having just finished my chemo I am trusting their opinion when they say any micro cells remaining would have been zapped.
He also said tha haing a lot of scans isnt such a good thing either !
I was grade 2 with 1 lymph

8

Hi Paula

I was given a scan because my blood test revealed an issue with my liver function. I had to have a liver ultrasound and bone scan. Nothing was wrong at all and nobody expected it would be - it was just a procedure following a blood test ensuring that everything was covered. The problem with the original blood test was down to some medication I’d been on.

Gill

9

I had a bone scan as part of the testing done when I received my initial diagnosis. I’m grade 2 (stage 1).

As has been said, probably down to where you live as well as your status.

Jacki

10

How upsetting that there is such a variety of different approaches

I was diagnosed with grade 3, stage 3, and have had almost everything scanned. So far I’ve had a CT, brain MRI & bone scan

I’m suprised that some people don’t get any investigations, but also understand the reasons behind this

Rebecca

11

To have a bone scan means being injected with a radioactive dye so I think that is why they do not do them unless clinically indicated eg having bone pain, nerve pain or symptoms.
The bone scan will also not always show bony secondaries until they reach a certain stage not necessarily a certain size.
I think being diagnosed at stage 3 means most places would do more scans than being diagnosed at stage 2. Hopefully, you understand the difference between grading and staging, if not is it explained on this site.
Any kind of scan can still miss things if they are small or at the wrong time. This happened to me in May 06, I could not lift my left leg or walk on it properly but the bone scan did not show anything. 3 months later, the bony secondaries showed on an xray and a subsequent bone scan a month after the xray that showed a sizeable bony spread in my pelvis and hip joint.
Even now that my bone spread is quite extensive, I only have a bone scan if something has really changed painwise.
I think it depends where you live to when they do CT/MRI scans as well as the staging/grading issues.
Hope all the rest of your treatment goes well.
Kate

12

I definitely think it depends where you live. I had the whole battery of tests when they found a recurrence, incl. bone scan. But I know that they also routinely scan after primary dx if your grade is 3. I am now under the oncologist department and don’t see my breast consultant at all. I see them 3 monthly and they arrange any necessary tests etc. Just shows you how different Health Authorities vary.

Hope all your treatment goes well.

Birgit