Brain, CT & PET Scans

Question 1

What are CT & PET scans used for?

Answer 1

-To diagnose cancer
-To find out what stage of the cancer it is
-To make decisions about whether you can have surgery to remove cancer
-To find the best treatment for cancer
-To show how well the treatment is working
-To find the place in the body where you cancer first started to grow
-To check whether your cancer has come back

Question 2

How do CT scans work?

Answer 2

• The patient lies on a platform which slowly moves through a hole in the CT machine.
• X-ray pictures are taken and the machine forms a 3D image, making it easier to see a tumour without the need for surgery.
• It also checks the size of a tumour before and after surgery.
  -They use x-rays which have a HIGH RADIATION RISK.

Question 3

How do PET scans work?

Answer 3

-The patient is injected with a radioactive version of glucose called 18FDG.
- This is carried in the blood to respiring cells.
- The higher the FDG concentration = more respiration
-Cancer tumours are fast growing