Hello,
My partner is about 2 years post diagnosis of pTa, G3 bladder cancer. He has had 12 of 15 BCG treatments and was all clear until cystoscopy in November when a very small recurrence (nurse specialist says low grade)
was noted and he was told he would need to have it burnt off with diathermy (this needs to be under GA because of where it is). About 10 days after this, he had a letter asking him to go for CT contrast scan of pelvis and abdomen. He also had one of these out of the blue in November 2021 so I wonder if this is a normal part of follow up or if they are worried he might have something else going on? It's frustrating as these letters drop through without any explanation. No word from the hospital since the cystoscopy about 3 weeks ago - I assume they are struggling to cope. I am just anxious about all aspects of this as Christmas last year was ruined by being told the scan showed likely prostate cancer (it wasn't). Thanks and best wishes to all.
Hello Catfan . Annual CT scans are standard in many cases just to keep an eye on things. After initial diagnosis and treatment, the consultant can order annual scans for a number of years. I have had scans for the past nine years and in my case I know it is the radiology department sending out the appointments when due, rather than a doctor specifically ordering them. It does make you double take though when they come out of the blue.
Prior to Covid, most cancer patients were allocated a CNS (Cancer Nurse Specialist) with a dedicated phone number. These were the people we called with any questions or concerns. Unfortunately, many of these nurses were redirected to other duties during Covid and did not come back. I know mine never came back so it is now harder to get information. I hope all goes well. Best wishes.
