If you’re worried that you may have cancer or your doctor thinks it could be a possibility, it’s best to get testing done to make sure. And while many tests can detect cancer, if you live near Burbank, CA, a PET scan may be one of the best options. Many times, a CT scan is also included with the PET scan. Either way, it can help detect cancer in the body and determine what stage you are at. It can also be used to determine if cancer has spread or if it has changed, or how it is affecting your organs.
PET scans can also help your doctor predict your recovery chances. They can also use the PET-CT scan to determine where a biopsy should be taken, determine if cancer treatments are working, evaluate how well a treatment worked, and prepare you for radiation therapy.
Why They’re Combined
While some imaging centers have just a PET scan system, others integrate the CT scan, which gives more information to the doctors. Each test is designed to show various things. While a CT scan shows tissues and organs, the PET scan shows any abnormal activity. Therefore, having both scans together gives more information about the situation.
How it Works
These scans create a picture of the tissue or organ in the body. A technician injects you with a radioactive substance called a tracer, which your tissues and organs pick up. When a part of the body uses more energy, it picks up more of the substance. It is well known that cancer cells use more energy, so they pick up a lot of the radioactive tracer. From there, the technician can determine where the radioactive substance is in the body.
If you also get a CT scan at the same time, it uses x-rays to create three-dimensional pictures of the body, showing anything unusual. For more visit Glendale MRI.
