Scan Medical Insurance

Any thyroid cancer survivors with full body scan experience?

I had surgery to remove my thyroid two years ago and have had two full body scans in the last two years. How many years should I have the test if my cancer marker levels are fine? Can I now switch to having the test only every other year?

Public Comments

1. this s/b discussed with your family physician or care giver,every ones system is different
2. Hi! I am 30 and have had about 6? scans. I think they do them for until you have a few clean scans then you can talk with an endo about different schedules. My body scans eventually come in negative but my Tg was elevated. I have had a TT, 2 neck dissections and recently a thoracotomy. I am going to have another body scan in April (don't know why cause I don't take up iodine) and they are going to test my Tg, I get to use Thyrogen so I don't need to go hypo yay! My case is rare, so don't worry, but I am still okay, I can handle it! There is a great free support group, there is a LID cook book coming out too! You can help others with their quesions too! The address link is below see ya there!!!!!!!!!!!!
3. Laura, I am a 27-year old female who was diagnosed with papillary carcinoma at the age of 14. I had both my entire thyroid and parathyroid removed, and after my surgery, had a full-body scan. This scan showed that the cancer had metastasized to my lungs, and I underwent several rounds of radioactive iodine treatment in the two years following my surgery. Each round of treatment was followed by a scan, which let my endocrinologist know if further treatment was necessary. I don't know if the extent of my treatment required a longer period of annual scans, but I had to have 5 clean scans before the doctors decided that I did not need anymore. I'm sure that your doctor would be able to give you the best answer for your situation, but I was told that 5 annual "clean" scans was what was required for me. You should definitely have this discussion with your doctor. As inconvenient as the scans are, and going off of your medication for a few weeks prior is tiring, they are an incredibly useful tool in winning your fight against cancer. Having several good scans gives you a peace of mind that everything really is going to be ok. Just make sure that you keep all of your doctor's appointments, follow his/her advice, and go for as many scans as they deem appropriate. And most importantly...keep your head up, and don't get discouraged. I'm living proof that everything can turn out ok in the end, and you will be too!