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Has anyone had a follow up bone scan that showed hot spots. I just had one and it shows two hot spots on ribs. I’m very nervous

A MyBCTeam Member asked a question 💭

Right sided breast cancer. pr positive her2 negative. 1 lymphnode involved. Had double mastectomy sept 5/2024. Chemo and radiation to follow. Had bone scan and ct angio 5 months ago. First bone scan showed spot on right side but now it’s showing spot on left rib too.

March 9
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A MyBCTeam Member

You may want to ask if a PET scan would be warranted as a follow up during the next few months. I know I would want to have some sort of quarterly monitoring, biopsies to be done, or both so I could be sure about what was happening in my bones. I've had cancer 6 times now. Breast cancer which came back once and endometrial cancer which came back 3 times. PET scans are what discovered the cancers the 4 times they returned. Good luck to you ❤️

March 10
A MyBCTeam Member

I have already had chemo x 4 and 25 rounds of radiation. The bone scan is a follow up I’ve been cancer free just over a year

March 9
MyBCTeam

What do hot spots on a follow-up bone scan mean after breast cancer treatment?

It's completely understandable to feel nervous about hot spots showing up on your bone scan. Hot spots on a bone scan indicate areas where the radioactive tracer has concentrated, but they don't automatically mean cancer has spread.

Hot spots Show Full Answer

What do hot spots on a follow-up bone scan mean after breast cancer treatment?

It's completely understandable to feel nervous about hot spots showing up on your bone scan. Hot spots on a bone scan indicate areas where the radioactive tracer has concentrated, but they don't automatically mean cancer has spread.

Hot spots can appear for several reasons:

* Healing from surgery or previous injury
* Inflammation in the area
* Arthritis or other bone conditions
* Rib fractures (which can sometimes occur as a complication of treatment)
* Cancer recurrence or metastasis

Since you had your mastectomy in September 2024 and are preparing for chemo and radiation, your body is still healing. A MyBCTeam member shared that their doctor conducted a bone scan to ensure rib pain wasn't cancer, and "thankfully, it was clean."

Your oncologist will likely want to do additional imaging or testing to determine what's causing these hot spots. This might include a CT scan, MRI, or possibly a biopsy to get a clearer picture.

The fact that you have one lymph node involved and are scheduled for chemo and radiation shows your medical team is being thorough with your treatment plan. Make sure to discuss these results with your oncologist as soon as possible so they can provide clarity and next steps.

March 9

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