Question 1

what does breast cancer look like on a pet scan?

Accepted Answer

Frequently light up: Breast cancers frequently light up on pet scan but the purpose of the scan is usually to look for metastases, not look at the actual breast tumor.  Small tumors, including in the breast or metastases, may not be seen on pet scan so while a positive scan confirmed with biopsy means there is a metastasis, a negative scan does not automatically mean that you don't have a metastasis.

Question 2

what does a pet scan with cancer look like?

Accepted Answer

Bright spots: Areas of tumor tend to pick up the labeled compound and show up as foci of increased activity either bright or dark spots depending how the image is displayed.

Question 3

should a pet scan show any cancer?

Accepted Answer

Metabolism: A pet scan is a measure of brain areas metabolism.  Brain tumors have a unique metabolic picture and alter the normal metabolic pattern of the affective area.

Question 4

on a pet scan, are the dark areas cancer?

Accepted Answer

It depends: The pet scan is shown on a computer, so what's light and what's dark depends on how it is set up.  Look at the picture on the right. The first image shows areas of possible cancer as dark; the second image of the same patient shows the reference ct scan, and the last image has added color so the cancer areas are red. The brain always "lights up" on pet scans because it uses so much glucose!

Question 5

should pet scans continue to be part of cancer surveillance?

Accepted Answer

Yes: Not every cancer should be followed with pet/ct.  But when the cancer is visible by this technology, it is often helpful in treatment planning and follow up.  Here is link:  http://www.Petscaninfo.Com/zportal/portals/pat/cancer.

Question 6

could a pet scan detect ovarian cancer?

Accepted Answer

Helps: Pet scans detect metabolically active tissues and since most tumors more active than normal tissues, pet scans help with diagnosis.

Question 7

can a pet scan miss cancer? how accurate is pet scan?

Accepted Answer

Not 100%: No test is 100% accurate. What symptoms do you have?

Question 8

why do some cancers have a high uptake on pet scan and some low ?

Accepted Answer

Metabolic activity: All cancers are unique in their own way. One such way is in their metabolism , more specifically the amount/quantity of uptake (metabolism) they possess. Usually the more metabolically active a tumor is , the more aggressive it is.

Question 9

if a pet scan indicates cancer but biopsy is normal, could i still have cancer?

Accepted Answer

Possibly.: A pet scan just indicates that there is an abnormality present .  The biopsy is reassuring, but you need to discuss your concerns with your doctor and review just what the biopsy shows.

Question 10

not long ago i had a pet scan done, one lympnode lit up, it was light. i want to know if that still means cancer.?

Accepted Answer

Possibly: The purpose of a PET scan is  to evaluate the extent of a cancerous process and see if before treatment there are several sites to be concerned about.  After treatment to see if there is residual disease that may not have responded properly.  If a node lights up it may suggest that there is still remaining disease.

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Doctor answers about:

What does cancer look like on a pet scan

A member asked:

What does breast cancer look like on a pet scan?

A member asked:

What does a pet scan with cancer look like?

A member asked:

Should a pet scan show any cancer?

A member asked:

On a pet scan, are the dark areas cancer?

A member asked:

Should pet scans continue to be part of cancer surveillance?

A member asked:

Could a pet scan detect ovarian cancer?

A member asked:

Can a pet scan miss cancer? how accurate is pet scan?

A member asked:

Why do some cancers have a high uptake on pet scan and some low ?

A member asked:

If a pet scan indicates cancer but biopsy is normal, could i still have cancer?

A member asked:

Not long ago i had a pet scan done, one lympnode lit up, it was light. i want to know if that still means cancer.?

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