How soon after the cancer surgery can you do a PET scan?

Question

Hello doctor,

My father had undergone a surgery after getting diagnosed with malignant adenocarcinoma. He is diabetic and is feeling very weak after the surgery. Also, mucus is leaking from one of his holes. Does he need a PET scan?

Please help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern.

Weakness after a surgical procedure is expected and recovery should take place over two to four weeks time. Just need to continue providing him enough nutrition and motivation.

The drains that you have described are normally put in after the surgery and are removed once the surgeon feels that no or minimal drain is coming from the site. After the catheter removal, some amount of drainage may come and it usually heals with dressings and nursing care.

If your surgeon feels that healing is good in all places, then you do not worry.

The need for chemotherapy or radiation therapy is decided once the pathology report of the removed part of the colon and rectum during surgery comes. There are features seen in that report, which suggest the aggressive or mild nature of the disease and if any additional treatment should be done to reduce the chances of the disease coming back.

After the surgery, usually, a PET (positron emission tomography) scan is not needed and pathology reports suffice for decision-making.

Hope it helps.

Thanks and regards.