hi im new to this site. my husband has had rectal cancer last year and now 9 months later they have found a small nodule on his lung. they wont commit themselves to whether they think its secondary cancer and are going to leave him another 6 months then scan him again. my question is why dont they just give him a pet scan to find out, i'm worried that its just financial reasons why they are leaving him. dont get me wrong i'm grateful for what they have done for him it just seems a bit hit and miss.
FormerMember
hello i do not want to be seen as rude. but why would using a pet scan make any difference? does a pet scan pick up much more then a CT scan
I haven't a clue what all the different types of scan do - but 6 months seems a long time to wait to see if it's anything serious or not. I think you should start kicking up a fuss, demanding a second opinion and generally being a nuisance. Ask your GP to help you with this and, if necessary, transfer to another hospital. It's a sad fact that the ones who shout the loudest tend to get the most attention.
I have bowel cancer. A CT scan showed secondaries in the liver and "something in the lung which could be scar or cancer".I had a PET scan which showed that the something was cancer. Obviously the PET scan is more able to identify cancer than the CT scan. i waited a matter of days in between as my oncologist wanted to know what it was. It hasn't actually changed my treatment, I was going to have chemo first anyway but we know where we stand.
no way should you wait for 6 months, horrible things can happen in that time. You should certainly ask for a second opinion, you are entitled to it.
Hi - What an awful situation to be in! I agree with the others - there is no way you should have to wait that long. Often as carers, we feel that we are being a nuisance - but why should we? Definately go to your GP and also maybe speak to one of the macmillan nurses on the helpline on this site. They are great to run stuff like that by - they will tell you all the questions you need to ask and how to make a fuss properly! I'm going to hopsital tomorrow myself with my mother in law who has bladder cancer and her treatment hasnt worked. I have a HUGE list of questions i want answering! Keep asking and keep strong. love annie x
hi ladylonglegs, yes a pet scan is more detailed than a cat or mri. it can actually tell them if it is a cancerous nodule or not. my husband had one before they operated to give the surgeons a good idea of what they were dealing with.
