Imaging after Radiation - 1263263

billyv
Posts:5

Hi, a good friend has kidney,prostate,cancer I told him he is very lucky to have a good dr. like he has ,if any treatments make him sick like the chemo and chemo pills he stops them ,went right into radiation ,he did very well with it my question is the Doctor told him he would have to wait 4/5 weeks before a ct scan would tell the right picture ,my question is this true no ct scans right after radiation Thank You Bill

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Reply # - April 15, 2014, 06:10 PM

catdander
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Hi Bill, I'm very sorry about your friend's cancer. It's true that it takes a few weeks after radiation to know how effective it was. In a previous thread Dr. West stated, " Follow-up is variable. I and many other docs do chest CTs most typically about 3-4 weeks after radiation is completed, and if we do PET/CTs, wait until at least 3-4 months after radiation is completed, since it's so common to see radiation-induced inflammation that can confuse our interpretation of what's happening." http://cancergrace.org/forums/index.php?topic=836.0

I hope your friend does very well,
Janine

Reply # - April 15, 2014, 06:12 PM

catdander
Posts:

Bill, I forgot to say that I split your thread from the thread you used to post your question. If you have any more questions you can use this thread or start a new one. When you post on a sticky thread it is easy to overlook.
Cheers, :)
Janine

Reply # - April 15, 2014, 06:15 PM

JimC
Posts: 2753

Hello Bill,

It is true that radiation can cause scarring and inflammation that appears on a scan and can make it initially difficult to determine the effect the radiation has had on the cancer. It is usually necessary to wait until some time has passed to be able to judge the results accurately.

JimC
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Reply # - April 15, 2014, 07:53 PM

Dr West
Posts: 4735

Yes, as our wonderful moderators have relayed, it's very appropriate and routinely recommended to wait about a month after completion of radiation to assess response. There is a fair bit of latitude around the exact timing.

-Dr. West

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