Should I get additional scans after breast cancer surgery?

Knowing your oncotype score information is so important. It's your body. Your decision. But if the information wouldn't change any treatment plan ( at this point before other information) then will it cause you more harm/ anxiety? Very challenging, sending positive thoughts your way.

I had similar, 2.5 cm although had clear margins . I had one positive node . My oncoscore was 15 so no chemo just radiotherapy and was Advil further tests needed . A year later I’m well and tolerating letrozole. It’s frightening waiting to see if you remain well but time does help Paula

Nope! I am going to demand a CT scan so I have a good baseline. ++- awaiting on pathology from lumpectomy and Sentinel Node biopsy. I am in this predicament because I didn’t self advocate and demand annual ultrasounds on an area that always had Dence breast tissue. They don’t want to order a CT scan because if something does show up they have to address it and would rather focus on the immediate threat. I am sick of the conveyer belt treatment plans.

Get the Scan! I demanded a PET scan and they found a tiny lesion on my bone that they never would have found because they said the same thing to me…it’s not normal protocol. I have the same cancer, small tumor less than 2.5cm..had a lumpectomy and radiation and had clear margins. Not a candidate for chemo, Onco score was 11. Oncologist said your done, go live your life. No lymph nodes were impacted, it traveled through my blood. Now I have MBC to the bone and I’m on KISQALI and Letrozole and Xgeva shot once per month. If I had not insisted the may not have found this for another few years!! Get the test!!

Go with your gut. I always do and it makes me feel much better.

What she/he was saying is that the tests would not be medically necessary so insurance won’t cover then

Get the test

Tony R, did your pathology report state you had a lymphovascular invasion? I’m sorry that happened to you. It’s good you advocated.

Get the test. Knowledge is power and can give you peace of mind.

A thorough work up is just that. Otherwise it is anyone’s guess… get it done insurance does pay for it!!

I had a positive margin,0 nodes, oncotype of 2 and 7mm tumor. DMX no chemo. They didn’t want to do radiation because of location near heart/lungs. Reexcision for negative margins 12 days later. I feel like it was a mistake not getting radiation. 12 days is a long time for CA cells to be sitting on the edge of a tumor. That’s my fear to this day… 6 years later. I didn’t advocate for myself - it’s was all so new , raw and terrifying. I don’t have peace of mind (if that’s ever possible with this dx). Anyone else have positive margin and no radiation??

You already beat the stats… quit living in the past you can not change the past🌞

I would absolutely go for the scans — especially if insurance would pay for it… and I’d even ask about out-of-pocket expenses if they didn’t. You sound like you have a supportive ONCO doc… and while she says that the results would not be used to determine treatment, you can bet if they found bone mets that this info would change everything. You are not overreacting. You have good instincts and sound like you are also able to advocate for yourself, which is a good thing and not to be undermined or diminished. From my limited experience, I wish everyone got CT and bone scans — somewhere on their post-surgery journey… maybe not the first year, but definitely within 5 years of last surgical intervention. I was ONCOtype DX 2 (TWO!!!) … 8 years later they found bone mets and a few affected lymph nodes by accident… (a new DR in a new country ordered an ultrasound as a baseline and we discovered one of my implants was leaking — the leak held in place by my body)… after which we progressed through MRIs to CT and bone scans. If nothing else, you’ll have a base line AND (chances are) peace of mind… and then you can get on living your best life… and if not, well you’ll be well ahead of the disease, which has to be an advantage. I’m hoping you’re clear… and that you’ll do the scans again in 3-5 years time… keep us posted.

Do the test! The peace of mind is very important! Good luck

I have two types of cancer in my right breast with possible lymph node involvement. 8/2/24 cancer diagnosis, but 5/30/24 heart attack & stent insertion prevents me from going off blood thinners for one year to have the mastectomy I need. I am on hormone therapy (Anastrozole 1mg.) for Mucinous Carcinoma believed to be Stage 1 or 2 (without lymph node biopsy) & Ductal Carcinoma In Situ, Stage 0, until next Summer’s surgery but requested & received bone scan with radioactive injection and ct scans with contrast of chest abdomen & pelvis. (Lymph node could not be biopsied due to bleeding risk on blood thinners.) No other cancer detected other than right breast & lymph node - just broken ribs from a 7/1/24 car accident, which explains why cardiac rehab was so painful over the Summer. So it’s been a wild year but at least I know my status as I live with cancer in my body for nine months. GET THE SCANS!!!

The decision about additional scans can feel overwhelming when facing uncertainty after surgery, and it's completely understandable to want reassurance about treatment completeness. Many patients in similar situations grapple with weighing the potential peace of mind against the practical considerations of additional testing. The medical team's willingness to accommodate this request while being transparent about their clinical assessment shows good communication, and ultimately this choice depends on personal comfort levels and what feels right for each individual's emotional well-being during this challenging time.