I finished the 4th round of FLOT over the weekend and had a CT scan on Monday, I wondered if this was too soon to get a clear result ?
I finished the 4th round of FLOT over the weekend and had a CT scan on Monday, I wondered if this was too soon to get a clear result ?
Hi Sop,
Welcome to the Ask a Nurse section of the Online Community here at Macmillan Cancer Support. I’m Kirstine, one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists from the Macmillan Support Line. It’s great to see you have been exploring some of the forums. I hope you find a warm welcome and support here.
Most often FLOT chemotherapy is given for eight cycles in total. Usually, this type of scan in the middle of cycles of chemotherapy is intended to make sure that the chemotherapy is doing what it is expected to do. Even though it’s very close the most recent cycle you have had, you have had 3 cycles beforehand. What they want to check is that the tumour is at very least not growing, and hopefully see some shrinkage. This lets the doctors know that it is the right treatment for you right now and they will be happy to continue with the rest of the course. If it’s not showing such positive impact, then they can consider an alternative. There wouldn’t be any point giving you such strong drugs if they were not helping.
I hope this helps you feel more reassured. Of course, you should chat with your treating team, perhaps your Clinical Nurse Specialist or Consultant, if you want to clarify what is happening in your treatment plan. It may take a week or two to report the scan and so it may be helpful to do it now so they can know what’s best for your next cycle.
We would be very happy to chat with you informally as well so please don’t hesitate to give us a call on our support line number too.
With best wishes for the rest of your treatment,
Kirstine – Macmillan
Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. Ref KDf/ DK
