Mar 26, 2009 11:39 PM SoutherMother wrote:
DaughterK, I had <1cm tumor, no nodes involved, radiation tx, chemo tx, but then a PET scan (at my insistence) found a tumor in my T-8. Two spine biopsies later, no proof of cancer but the metabolic activity kept going up higher. All my doctors believed it to be cancer, but thought it was knocked back a notch or two because I had received chemo. My blood work continues to show tumor markers as normal. The PET scan should be able to tell the difference between arthritis and cancer. Do you know what the uptake value was on the PET scan? It's true that some lesions aren't cancer. Has your Mom ever been exposed to T.B.? Paget's disease? My neurologist, radiation oncologist, oncologist, bone doctor?, breast surgeon, etc... have all agreed that if their mother or sister had my tumor without a biopsy to prove it, they would still recommend radiation treatment if it started to grow. We did just that, low radiation tx for three weeks, when the uptake went hypermetabolic on the PET scan. I am receiving Zometa every six months and take Arimidex. I won't do chemo again until we get histological proof. Which won't happen with my T-8 as it can not take any more pokes. I've heard the Zometa helps with osteoporosis so that should help your Mom no matter what. I know it is hard to believe it could be mets. It doesn't seem right. Somewhere in all my research, I believe the chance of cancer spreading without it showing in the lymph nodes was 5%. And then of that 5%, I believe only 7% will present with mets as a solitary spinal tumor. If the solitary tumor is mets, I am happy to have only that. It is manageable. I just don't do roller coasters anymore.