A quick question

The usual protocol is MRI or PET at 12-16 weeks then that’s it. What was your cancer and stage? 
My advice would be to be careful of what your friends say unless they are HNC oncologists. There are a lot of armchair cancer specialists around 

Hi It’s not usual at the moment for head and neck cancer patients. We have our pet ct scan or mri at 3-4 months after treatment. Then seen every 6-8 weeks snd on most occasions given a scope. 
Hazel 

I’d add that there is a trial on PIFU. Patient Informed Follow Up that is being run at some trusts. Low risk patients are invited to have an MRI at 12 months then follow up is left to them with a guaranteed 2 week appointment access to their team if they are worried. The first year remains the same as the rest of us. The trial has only just started though. 

Thanks Raz , I’ve only had nasal scopes every 2 to 3 months but no MRI since being diagnosed at my 12 month check up I asked my oncologist about it and got a physical exam done on my neck as well as the nasal scope , cheers for getting back to me so quickly your a star .

Hi beesuit , im not sure of the specific type of cancer but at 1st a general ent doctor told me that i had a t4 tumour in my voice box then 2 weeks later i saw an oncologist who told me it was a treatable t2 tumour, like I said to Raz the only scan I’ve received was to determine my diagnosis.

I recorded the consultation with the surgeon as well as the radiographer as I had the choice of surgery or radiotherapy with the same survival percentage , thank you also for getting back in touch with me so quickly,, I think I’ll bring it up at my next appointment with my doctor/oncologist and in the meantime I’ll look into the PIFU site as it’s the first time I’ve heard of it.

You guys are the best and I’ll definitely let you know what happens next 

Thanks again 

Hi I’m almost 5 years my last pet ct scan January after treatment. I’ve had nothing apart from  scopes and neck exams. 
Hazel x

So did you have a post treatment scan at around four months after treatment?

The PIFU is run by PetNeck but it’s down to each hospital so probably not accessible separately. It’s just about follow up anyway 

All the issues I have had subsequent to my first round of treatment have been picked up at a visual screening during my routine appointments.  The one time they picked up a positive tumour (the rest have been false alarms), confirmed by biopsy, the subsequent scans did not show it.

You team are experts in knowing your mouth and how the cancer presents.  Trust them and ensure you attend follow-ups as required.