PET-CT

PET-CT combines Nuclear Medicine with CAT scan which lets doctors see both what the body looks like inside and how it works.  PET-CT is used to find certain cancers as well as identify different brain diseases.  Taking pictures inside the body is a useful way to identify health problems.  PET combines sugar with gamma rays in an injection form which goes into the body through a vein.  Cancer cells love sugar and will take more of this injection than the normal cells.  This causes the areas where cancer is hiding to light up so it can be found and later removed with surgery and/or destroyed by radiation or chemotherapy.  CT shows exactly what areas of the body the cancer is hiding so that the doctor will know where to operate and where to aim the treatment to kill the cancer.  Doctors use this tool to find cancer, kill it, and make sure it stays dead.

The scan itself usually takes about thirty minutes, but there are certain things a person must do and not do before the test.  First, avoid eating sugar and foods that produce sugar in the body; such as, bread, pasta, rice, and cereal.  This diet begins at noon the day before the test and lasts until the test is completed.  Furthermore, avoid exercise a day or two before the test.

On the day of the test, the person is injected with the sugar and gamma ray material.  This substance has to mix within the body for one to two hours and then the scan begins.  There are no symptoms or side effects to this material, although something sweet to eat may be desired afterward.

Experts tell us that early detection of cancer is the best hope of a positive outcome.  PET-CT is an excellent tool not only for locating the cancer cells, but also for finding out how well a treatment is working.  If you or someone you love has been told you may have cancer, ask your doctor if a PET-CT would be helpful.