Learn how both the PET and CT scans can help with fighting breast cancer.
This type of scanning is a very powerful tool as it is used mainly for early detection of breast cancer and the main way to fight this terrible disease is to catch it early and then stop it advancing to form numerous tumors. The reality is that in all human technological advancement there has not been a cure for cancer. A disease that kills hundreds of millions of people every year in one way or another. The OET scan allows for early detection of what is known as bad responders.
While PET and CT scans assist in the fight by offering up early detection, if the cancer is moderately advanced then it allows for immediate analysis on how far the cancerous cells have spread, i.e. to other parts of the body; it also gives the attending physician a good idea of what types of treatments to administer based on the data he has received from the PET scan. It will assist if chemotherapy will help or if other treatments will be better suited. Let us also assume that the patient is currently undergoing treatment, what if you were able to tell quickly if prescribed treatment was having positive effects. Well with the PET scan the doctor can see if the cancerous cells are still growing or it they have gone into remission.
The scan is non intrusive and detects if the disease is recurring after treatments. No most doctors will not give a diagnosis of cancer being present without conducting a biopsy. In the past depending on where the doctor felt or believed the cancer was he would take a sample for biopsy. In this case the doctor can pinpoint where would be suitable as a site on the person's body to take the sample for biopsy.
The process of the PET scans - How it Works
Both PET's and CT's are done using what is known as a molecular imaging procedure. This permits doctors and physicians to see a 3D (three dimensional) image of what's happening inside the person's body on a tremendously small level, typically known as the cellular level. This painless procedure involves the patient being injected with what is known as a radiotracer fluid (called fluorodeoxyglicose) which contains a radioactive element which in turn is absorbed by cancerous cells and tumors. The patient is then placed on the PET table and scanned. The PET scanner detects the amount of metabolic activity being transmitted from the radiotracer and compiles this into images. The fundamental concept is how the device is able to identify things on the molecular level.
Colin Scott is health research expert. For more great tips on PET Scanning information visit this link in the Author Bio.
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