Question 1

petscan showed spots on neck and groin what kind of infection can cause this?

Accepted Answer

What you describe...: ..may be enlarged and/or reactive lymph nodes or solid masses separate from infection. This finding deserves further evaluation please.

Question 2

my dad 73 yr old quit smoking 18 yr old. his ct scan shows infection & one 7 mm nodule. should we go for pet scan or biopsy? any pros cons of each?

Accepted Answer

Biopsy first: He needs to have a biopsy of the nodule first to see what it is. The pet scan is useful if the nodule turns out to be cancer.

Question 3

can you tell me if you have a pet scan what is the percentage rate the something showing up is just an infection and not cance?

Accepted Answer

No percentage...: Pet scans use radioactive glucose as the tracer.  Glucose is nonspecific ; can be taken up in infection, inflammation, ; tumor.  Pet scans are often used to localize infection in fever of unknown origin.  In addition pet scans can be helpful in diagnosing in spinal osteomyelitis. The mechanism of glucose uptake is different from  other infection imaging agents such as indium WBC and gallium scans.

Question 4

can a pet scan light up with an infection (lung nodule)?

Accepted Answer

Yes: Iflammation, sarcoid and of course cancer will show up on a pet/ct.

Question 5

pet scan lit up right side of prostate. scan done for lung infection so this is a surprise. psa is 3.1. urine and cbc completely normal suv 7.1. is prostate cancer a concern. appointment scheduled with urologist. will he recommend biopsy?

Accepted Answer

: The decision of biopsy may partly depend on your prostate appearance by rectal exam and your previous PSA level. It won't hurt if you want to have another PSA level in the next 3-6 months if you did not have a PSA level in the past 2 years. If rectal exam detects nodule or asymmetric enlargement, biopsy will likely be recommended.

Question 6

will dying cancer cells (hodgkins lymphoma) and their drainage show up as cancer in a pet scan? meaning, it seems like it would be a kind of inflammation on some level and i understand that  is not discernable from cancer itself. is this true?

Accepted Answer

No: Dying or dead cells will not show as active cancer on a PET scan. Cancer cells are detected  otherwise on their typical metabolical advantage, not always easy to discern from other inflammatory conditions

Question 7

will a ct scan show the same kind of things as a pet scan when its concerning a lung?

Accepted Answer

Different scans: A ct scan is like a fancy x-ray, from a "thousand angles" all at once, allowing for a 3-d reconstruction of what you're imaging.

A pet scan reads cell growth by the uptake of a radioactive dye. This is then combined with a ct to produce the final image.

However, ct and pet scans are very different technologies and used for different things, giving different results.

Question 8

i'm 60 yrs old. went for a petscan and it shows spots on my long and spleen. what could be the cause and diagnosis. thank you.

Accepted Answer

Talk to Doc: Since there are many types of spots, it is impossible to guess what the problem may be. You will likely get a better answer from the doctor who ordered the PET scan instead of here.

Question 9

what can a pet scan show?

Accepted Answer

Functioning: It is a functional test and shows which parts of the body are using the most glucose. This is an indirect measure of how active the cells are.

Question 10

what part of the body does a whole pet scan show?

Accepted Answer

Eyes to thighs: Even though the study is called whole body pet/ct, most often the image acquisition is from the eyes to thighs. The parts of the body that are included varies from center to center and also depends on the patient's symptoms and cancer histopathology. For e.g. Melanomas can metastasize anywhere in the body and thus real whole body scans are obtained (skull vertex to toes).

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Doctor answers about:

What kind of infections can show up on a petscan

A member asked:

Petscan showed spots on neck and groin what kind of infection can cause this?

A member asked:

My dad 73 yr old quit smoking 18 yr old. his ct scan shows infection & one 7 mm nodule. should we go for pet scan or biopsy? any pros cons of each?

A member asked:

Can you tell me if you have a pet scan what is the percentage rate the something showing up is just an infection and not cance?

A member asked:

Can a pet scan light up with an infection (lung nodule)?

A member asked:

Pet scan lit up right side of prostate. scan done for lung infection so this is a surprise. psa is 3.1. urine and cbc completely normal suv 7.1. is prostate cancer a concern. appointment scheduled with urologist. will he recommend biopsy?

A member asked:

Will dying cancer cells (hodgkins lymphoma) and their drainage show up as cancer in a pet scan? meaning, it seems like it would be a kind of inflammation on some level and i understand that is not discernable from cancer itself. is this true?

A member asked:

Will a ct scan show the same kind of things as a pet scan when its concerning a lung?

A member asked:

I'm 60 yrs old. went for a petscan and it shows spots on my long and spleen. what could be the cause and diagnosis. thank you.

A member asked:

What can a pet scan show?

A member asked:

What part of the body does a whole pet scan show?

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