Is X-ray reliable

[Blair77]

Oncologist sent my husband for an X-ray to investigate his shoulder pain. Isn’t an X-ray highly unreliable to detect if his pain is being caused by his metastatic cancer? I’m thinking an MRI or CT should have been ordered? X-ray components below

[Blair77]

* findings above post not below 😀

[tango65]

I quote:

"X-rays are often the first tests done if a person with cancer is having bone pain or other symptoms.

In osteolytic or lytic metastases, the cancer cells dissolve the bone, making part of it less dense. If the cancer has destroyed enough of the bone, these changes look like a darker hole in the gray-white bone seen on the x-ray.

Osteoblastic or blastic metastases cause an area of the bone to look denser or sclerotic. On x-rays, these changes show up as spots that are whiter than the bone around them.

Often, bone metastases have both lytic and blastic features.

X-rays can also show fractures (breaks) in bones that have been weakened by metastases."

cancer.org/treatment/unders...

[Lagovista2018]

I would ask for a bone scan. My fiancé had an ct scan of his pelvic & abdomen, ct scan with contrast, ultrasound and it showed something was there especially the ct with contrast. It was the bone scan that gave us 100% of his diagnosis

[TNCanuck in reply to Lagovista2018]

Did they do a bone biopsy?

[Tall_Allen]

I think he wanted to eliminate arthritis as the cause, which he did.

[Blair77 in reply to Tall_Allen]

Hi,

So the cause would more likely be pain from the cancer? Should we ask for radiation to help with the pain?

[Tall_Allen in reply to Blair77]

You might request a bone scan/CT or a NaF18 PET/CT scan (if insurance covers it). You want to be certain it's a met before you irradiate it.

[charlesmeyers1964]

bone scan,pet scan,mri all will detect what the cause is forming pain. my ex gf who had beast cancer later down the road she had pain in her shoulder and they radiated and put some kind of paste in to fill where the radiation was used and she live about another 7 years she is dead so go with a oncologist who u feel comfortable with or a group (cancer nwA) group and feel comfortable with if not change out again remember its your body not there's.