Indication of metastasis

[Krolik]

After the treatment is over (chemo, mastectomy, radiation) should I go through any additional tests to rule out secondary cancer elsewhere in the body? For example, would total bone scan be informative? Please advice.

[lizziecee]

Hi -
I had bone,chest and liver scans done after surgery and before chemo and radiotherapy. All were clear. However, some 18 months later I had severe pain in my left hip and had another bone scan done, which showed arthritis in both hips, hands and feet. . I was so relieved it was not mestastases from my breast cancer. If you are worried about pains, I would suggest you talk to your Oncologist or GP
Take care, Liz.

[CCF-RN,MSN-JS]

Dear Krolik:  While bone scans and other radiographic studies are frequently done as part of the initial staging evaluation, these studies are not routinely repeated at the completion of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for operable breast cancer.  Additional studies may be recommended to follow up on new symptoms or abnormalities seen on prior scans. In addition, scans generally are done to monitor response to treatment in patients with inoperable (or metastatic) breast cancer.