A recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology may answer some of these questions. A research team led by Charles L. Loprinzi, MD, a medical oncologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., reports that although some breast cancer patients may request regular chest X-rays, blood tests, and liver function tests to see if their breast cancer has returned, such diagnostic tests do not improve survival or quality of life.
Medical history taking and physical exams are the most common methods of discovering a recurrence.
But there is no substitute for a continuing relationship with a doctor. Extra diagnostic tests also cause a lot of anxiety, she says, and some do have side effects, including extra radiation, but a lot of women feel better if they have these tests. These women are going to have aches, colds, and flu-like symptoms just like women who have never had cancer, but they may be more sensitive to their bodies' changes. All rights reserved. All rights reserved.