Nancy Lee said:My father was discharged with a diagnosis of malignant lymphoma in his neck. He’s been prescribed Taxol and is scheduled to start radiation on his neck in three weeks.
The doctor mentioned that the scintigraphy results looked fine, and we were discharged shortly after. We received the paperwork at our home address, which contained what I’ve written to you all. Since we can't reach his doctor right now because he is traveling, I am asking you—or anyone with expertise—to please clarify these scintigraphy findings once more.
Greetings again. Since my mother underwent a scintigraphy some time ago due to suspected bone metastases, I will answer you directly. Perhaps this response will offer some hope and alleviate some of your anxiety. First, let me be clear: scintigraphy is not nearly as reliable as some people claim, and you will likely require additional imaging. Years ago, my mother was in a major car accident that resulted in numerous fractures, particularly in her pelvic region (twelve fractures in total). Now, over thirty years later, following a diagnosis of liver cancer, doctors suspected bone metastases due to high phosphatase levels. They initially performed X-rays of both shoulders because she was experiencing pain there, along with scans of her pelvis, hips, and knees. When those X-rays were reviewed, the physician insisted there were no metastases, attributing the issues instead to osteoporosis and old fractures. However, they sent her for a bone scintigraphy to check for radiopharmaceutical accumulation in the pelvis, thoracic spine, and ankle. For the ankle, they claimed it was degenerative, but for the other areas, they suggested metastases. She was referred for radiation (following a tumor board review), but she caught a stroke of luck when, right before the marking procedure, a doctor who wasn't part of the initial board asked if we had the X-rays. Upon reviewing the X-rays, she immediately stated my mother did not have metastases and ordered an MRI to confirm. The MRI proved her right. If she hadn't intervened, my mother would have undergone unnecessary radiation; the radiopharmaceutical was simply accumulating at the sites of her old injuries, and the spinal findings were merely degenerative. It is true that bone metastases typically appear in the shoulders, hips, pelvis, rebro, or spine, but there must be accompanying symptoms, and one must be extremely careful to rule out similar conditions. In your father's case, the radiopharmaceutical accumulated in the left shoulder, one rebro, the upper back (clavicle and scapula), and the knees. As previously noted, one area is certainly degenerative—essentially "wear and tear"—while the shoulder and rebro findings require further investigation. You should consider getting an MRI, which is quite reliable, or perhaps an X-ray combined with blood work. Where the tracer accumulates indicates that a process is occurring, but it is not necessarily malignant. This finding must be carefully verified and supplemented by other tests; as I mentioned, an MRI would be highly dependable. I apologize for being long-winded, but this is the only way to convey the experience. The only error made here was by the medical team, though in my mother's case, it was genuinely difficult to determine given her history of numerous old injuries and a deformed pelvis that left her disabled; anyone would have struggled. It should be much easier to determine the situation with your father. Best regards.