First PET scan

sflgirl

Hi everyone,

I'm getting my first PET scan on Thursday.  I've had several CT scans.  I finished 12 rounds of chemo a month ago.  Now having achiness in my liver so I'm headed for the scan.

Can those who have had both tell me if the PET is equally or more effective/accurate than a CT?  Any other thoughts?

Thanks,

Andrea

NewHere

PET Scan

They all seem to do different things and provide different bits of information to form a total picture, at least it seems to me.  I had a PET scan about a month after surgery, and before chemo started, to see if there were any changes that from earlier scans (last one was in January before surgery) and to get a "base-line" PET scan at that point   I have not yet had my first post-chemo scan, that is coming up in a couple of weeks.

Try not to worry too much about the achiness nor stress too much about the exam or waiting for results.  (It drives me nuts they cannot give results pretty quickly.  When I had my PET scan I would have bet that the people doing the scan saw something and would not tell me.  Well I thought I saw something in their mannerisms when the scan was done  Scan was good.)

Hang in there and looking forward to hearing great news for you shortly.

sflgirl

NewHere said:

PET Scan

They all seem to do different things and provide different bits of information to form a total picture, at least it seems to me.  I had a PET scan about a month after surgery, and before chemo started, to see if there were any changes that from earlier scans (last one was in January before surgery) and to get a "base-line" PET scan at that point   I have not yet had my first post-chemo scan, that is coming up in a couple of weeks.

Try not to worry too much about the achiness nor stress too much about the exam or waiting for results.  (It drives me nuts they cannot give results pretty quickly.  When I had my PET scan I would have bet that the people doing the scan saw something and would not tell me.  Well I thought I saw something in their mannerisms when the scan was done  Scan was good.)

Hang in there and looking forward to hearing great news for you shortly.

Worry

Thanks for the info and encouragement.  I will get the results Friday so no long waiting for results.  I think I'm hypersensitive to every ache and pain now but I err on the side of caution  Thanks and I will report back.

Andrea

 

danker

Tests

If you just assume the results will be the best, it relieves the stress of waiting for results.  Good Luck!!

lp1964

Dear Friend,

As far as I know PET scan is same as CT scan but they inject radioactive glucose (sugar) isotopes in your blood. Since the cancer cells are deviding like crazy they use up more sugar for energy so they light up on the image. Healing scar tissue my also show up so this scan should not be taken to soon after surgeries or injuries. 

Good luck with your results and we are anxious for the good news.

Laz

NewHere

lp1964 said:

Dear Friend,

As far as I know PET scan is same as CT scan but they inject radioactive glucose (sugar) isotopes in your blood. Since the cancer cells are deviding like crazy they use up more sugar for energy so they light up on the image. Healing scar tissue my also show up so this scan should not be taken to soon after surgeries or injuries. 

Good luck with your results and we are anxious for the good news.

Laz

Yup

Healing scar tissue my also show up so this scan should not be taken to soon after surgeries or injuries. 

Mine showed the healing since it was about a month after surgery.  The radiologist noted it in the report.

Still have my card they gave me in case I was stopped for throwing off radioactivity, apparently is has happened before

janderson1964

NewHere said:

Yup

Healing scar tissue my also show up so this scan should not be taken to soon after surgeries or injuries. 

Mine showed the healing since it was about a month after surgery.  The radiologist noted it in the report.

Still have my card they gave me in case I was stopped for throwing off radioactivity, apparently is has happened before

Several years ago I crashed

Several years ago I crashed my mountain bike. My ribs were sore but i didn't think much about it. The following week I had a PET scan and sure enough one of the ribs lit up. It turns out I had a small fracture.

sflgirl

janderson1964 said:

Several years ago I crashed

Several years ago I crashed my mountain bike. My ribs were sore but i didn't think much about it. The following week I had a PET scan and sure enough one of the ribs lit up. It turns out I had a small fracture.

Interesting

So the rib lit up because it was healing?  Sounds like the PET scan is pretty interesting compared to a CT.

NewHere

sflgirl said:

Interesting

So the rib lit up because it was healing?  Sounds like the PET scan is pretty interesting compared to a CT.

Everything Is Interesting In This Game

The amount of different tests and results and interpretations of results really is very interesting, but unfortunately we are in the middle of it.  (Not trying to be flippant, it is actually fascinating all the things that go on, and often joke that I wish I was not in the middle of it and just observing and learning.)

I also had a bone scan the day before I had the CT scan which showed the cancer.  Somehow the bone scan was clean.  Go figure.  Was already to celebrate.

John23

sflgirl said:

Interesting

So the rib lit up because it was healing?  Sounds like the PET scan is pretty interesting compared to a CT.

Pets and scans

Pets and scans

The "PET" scan was originally developed to provide a surgeon with a clearer picture of a tumor. You'll find out soon enough, that most surgeons don't think too highly of the PET and prefer to use a CT or MRI instead.

All cells use glucose for food. Since a cancer cell is just a normal cell that's been damaged to the extent that it can no longer take instructions regarding it's survival, the defective cell may begin to survive on its own (if the immune system does not remove it as it should) by using the fermentation process. The cell consumes as much glucose as it can because it receives no instructions to limit it's consumption as the normal cells do. The defective (cancer) cell consumes glucose and excretes lactic acid, and the lactic acid is converted back into glucose by your liver.

So theoretically, the cancer cell should use more glucose, and the PET will "light up" with any cell holding more glucose than it's neighboring cells.

Nice theory. Nice, except any cell that is in the healing or growing process uses more glucose than cells that are not healing or growing. And a cancer cell that was originally a slow growing cell (like from the prostate) that moves into a high growth rate organ (like the lung) may not light up at all, since it's surrounding cells are all using more glucose than it is. Of course, once the cancer cell grows to an appreciable size, it may begin consuming more glucose than it's normal partners.

The PET, that was originally designed to better outline tumors and large masses of defective cells (cancer), has become the industry standard for treasure hunting. The false indications outweigh the benefits of such a scan, and is one of the reasons why most surgeons do not bother with it. Most Oncologists on the other hand, promote the PET at every chance to do so. I'll let the reader fill in the blanks.

I'll admit openly, that I am very cynical with all of the industrial/medical institutional hype. One of my surgeons had observed, that the medicinal industry has set the standards for medical practice, not the other way around as it should be; the "industry" does not take any "oath" to do no harm; their bottom line dictates their "oath".

Rant aside, be wary of any PET report that indicates a horrible situation that requires immediate chemical or radiation therapy. Be sure to relax and take time to gather other opinions regarding your situation and care from physicians not related to the same group or organization. You may be pleasantly surprised by the varied opinions reporting the well being of your own body.

Life is...... what it is. Don't allow fear to drive you!

My best wishes,

John

 

EvelynB

John23 said:

Pets and scans

Pets and scans

The "PET" scan was originally developed to provide a surgeon with a clearer picture of a tumor. You'll find out soon enough, that most surgeons don't think too highly of the PET and prefer to use a CT or MRI instead.

All cells use glucose for food. Since a cancer cell is just a normal cell that's been damaged to the extent that it can no longer take instructions regarding it's survival, the defective cell may begin to survive on its own (if the immune system does not remove it as it should) by using the fermentation process. The cell consumes as much glucose as it can because it receives no instructions to limit it's consumption as the normal cells do. The defective (cancer) cell consumes glucose and excretes lactic acid, and the lactic acid is converted back into glucose by your liver.

So theoretically, the cancer cell should use more glucose, and the PET will "light up" with any cell holding more glucose than it's neighboring cells.

Nice theory. Nice, except any cell that is in the healing or growing process uses more glucose than cells that are not healing or growing. And a cancer cell that was originally a slow growing cell (like from the prostate) that moves into a high growth rate organ (like the lung) may not light up at all, since it's surrounding cells are all using more glucose than it is. Of course, once the cancer cell grows to an appreciable size, it may begin consuming more glucose than it's normal partners.

The PET, that was originally designed to better outline tumors and large masses of defective cells (cancer), has become the industry standard for treasure hunting. The false indications outweigh the benefits of such a scan, and is one of the reasons why most surgeons do not bother with it. Most Oncologists on the other hand, promote the PET at every chance to do so. I'll let the reader fill in the blanks.

I'll admit openly, that I am very cynical with all of the industrial/medical institutional hype. One of my surgeons had observed, that the medicinal industry has set the standards for medical practice, not the other way around as it should be; the "industry" does not take any "oath" to do no harm; their bottom line dictates their "oath".

Rant aside, be wary of any PET report that indicates a horrible situation that requires immediate chemical or radiation therapy. Be sure to relax and take time to gather other opinions regarding your situation and care from physicians not related to the same group or organization. You may be pleasantly surprised by the varied opinions reporting the well being of your own body.

Life is...... what it is. Don't allow fear to drive you!

My best wishes,

John

 

John

Thanks so much for this informative post. "Don't allow fear to drive you" is great advice for all of us.  

Trubrit

NewHere said:

Everything Is Interesting In This Game

The amount of different tests and results and interpretations of results really is very interesting, but unfortunately we are in the middle of it.  (Not trying to be flippant, it is actually fascinating all the things that go on, and often joke that I wish I was not in the middle of it and just observing and learning.)

I also had a bone scan the day before I had the CT scan which showed the cancer.  Somehow the bone scan was clean.  Go figure.  Was already to celebrate.

Everything Is Interesting In This Game

Looking around for the LIKE button. 

So true, so very true. 

Sue - Trubrit

sflgirl

John23 said:

Pets and scans

Pets and scans

The "PET" scan was originally developed to provide a surgeon with a clearer picture of a tumor. You'll find out soon enough, that most surgeons don't think too highly of the PET and prefer to use a CT or MRI instead.

All cells use glucose for food. Since a cancer cell is just a normal cell that's been damaged to the extent that it can no longer take instructions regarding it's survival, the defective cell may begin to survive on its own (if the immune system does not remove it as it should) by using the fermentation process. The cell consumes as much glucose as it can because it receives no instructions to limit it's consumption as the normal cells do. The defective (cancer) cell consumes glucose and excretes lactic acid, and the lactic acid is converted back into glucose by your liver.

So theoretically, the cancer cell should use more glucose, and the PET will "light up" with any cell holding more glucose than it's neighboring cells.

Nice theory. Nice, except any cell that is in the healing or growing process uses more glucose than cells that are not healing or growing. And a cancer cell that was originally a slow growing cell (like from the prostate) that moves into a high growth rate organ (like the lung) may not light up at all, since it's surrounding cells are all using more glucose than it is. Of course, once the cancer cell grows to an appreciable size, it may begin consuming more glucose than it's normal partners.

The PET, that was originally designed to better outline tumors and large masses of defective cells (cancer), has become the industry standard for treasure hunting. The false indications outweigh the benefits of such a scan, and is one of the reasons why most surgeons do not bother with it. Most Oncologists on the other hand, promote the PET at every chance to do so. I'll let the reader fill in the blanks.

I'll admit openly, that I am very cynical with all of the industrial/medical institutional hype. One of my surgeons had observed, that the medicinal industry has set the standards for medical practice, not the other way around as it should be; the "industry" does not take any "oath" to do no harm; their bottom line dictates their "oath".

Rant aside, be wary of any PET report that indicates a horrible situation that requires immediate chemical or radiation therapy. Be sure to relax and take time to gather other opinions regarding your situation and care from physicians not related to the same group or organization. You may be pleasantly surprised by the varied opinions reporting the well being of your own body.

Life is...... what it is. Don't allow fear to drive you!

My best wishes,

John

 

Thanks

I appreciate your comments. I have only had CT/MRI in the past.  I'm interested in these results but I will be wary of any weird results.  I get the results Friday and will report back.

Thank you for your good wishes.

Andrea

sflgirl

NewHere said:

Everything Is Interesting In This Game

The amount of different tests and results and interpretations of results really is very interesting, but unfortunately we are in the middle of it.  (Not trying to be flippant, it is actually fascinating all the things that go on, and often joke that I wish I was not in the middle of it and just observing and learning.)

I also had a bone scan the day before I had the CT scan which showed the cancer.  Somehow the bone scan was clean.  Go figure.  Was already to celebrate.

Yes, being in the middle of

Yes, being in the middle of it does take some of the luster off

peterz54

PET/CT

My wife, Patricia. had combination PET/CT scans.   Done at same time and images can be overlayed or shown separately.  The CT is very good at high resolution anatomy, but as you've already been told the PET scan shows hot spots due to rapid uptake up radioactively laced glucose.  Most, but not all cancers take up glucose faster than the surrounding normal cells.   It takes an experienced radiologist to sort things out because some images can be inconclusive.  Generally though hot spots (PET)  in the liver or colon are not ambiguous unless inflammation is involved.  Some organs like the brain and bladder and kidneys will automatically show hot on a PET due to either naturally high uptake of glucose or some other rapid metabolic process under way.  The PET and CT both have their advantages and when done together are better than only one or the other.  The other thing to know is that even if there is no discernable cancer it doesn't mean it's not there.  could be just to small to image.

 

You can have the radiologist go over the images with you.  Get a CD of images as well as the written report from the imaging facility.  ALso ask why you didn't have teh combination PET/CT done. 

sflgirl

peterz54 said:

PET/CT

My wife, Patricia. had combination PET/CT scans.   Done at same time and images can be overlayed or shown separately.  The CT is very good at high resolution anatomy, but as you've already been told the PET scan shows hot spots due to rapid uptake up radioactively laced glucose.  Most, but not all cancers take up glucose faster than the surrounding normal cells.   It takes an experienced radiologist to sort things out because some images can be inconclusive.  Generally though hot spots (PET)  in the liver or colon are not ambiguous unless inflammation is involved.  Some organs like the brain and bladder and kidneys will automatically show hot on a PET due to either naturally high uptake of glucose or some other rapid metabolic process under way.  The PET and CT both have their advantages and when done together are better than only one or the other.  The other thing to know is that even if there is no discernable cancer it doesn't mean it's not there.  could be just to small to image.

 

You can have the radiologist go over the images with you.  Get a CD of images as well as the written report from the imaging facility.  ALso ask why you didn't have teh combination PET/CT done. 

Thanks

I appreciate your comments and I will get a good explanation of the results.  Turns out they did do a concurrent CT scan with the PET. They layer the PET on top of the CT to get the anatomical placement correct.

will have results tomorrow 

Andrea

sflgirl

NewHere said:

PET Scan

They all seem to do different things and provide different bits of information to form a total picture, at least it seems to me.  I had a PET scan about a month after surgery, and before chemo started, to see if there were any changes that from earlier scans (last one was in January before surgery) and to get a "base-line" PET scan at that point   I have not yet had my first post-chemo scan, that is coming up in a couple of weeks.

Try not to worry too much about the achiness nor stress too much about the exam or waiting for results.  (It drives me nuts they cannot give results pretty quickly.  When I had my PET scan I would have bet that the people doing the scan saw something and would not tell me.  Well I thought I saw something in their mannerisms when the scan was done  Scan was good.)

Hang in there and looking forward to hearing great news for you shortly.

Good news today

It turns out nothing showed up glowing on the Pet.  I'm very relieved.  The only guess as to the achiness is there is a liquid filled pocket in my liver left over from the resection in May.  Apparently this is not uncommon and it takes the liver a long time to absorb the liquid.  The area has shrunk since the last CT in August.  CEA 1.8.  So far so good.

Thanks for everyone's comments.

My best to all,

Andrea

beaumontdave

I thought I had achiness in

I thought I had achiness in my liver, turns out I tend to lean a bit on that side whilst reading the laptop in bed. My onc kept ordering a pet scan after every ct this last year, it makes for a stressful waiting game. I'm clear with a 1.8 cea as well, good til Feb. I was going to discuss the scan differences, but that's been well covered. Enjoy your ned, and each day. Heaven knows I'm trying to........Dave

sflgirl

beaumontdave said:

I thought I had achiness in

I thought I had achiness in my liver, turns out I tend to lean a bit on that side whilst reading the laptop in bed. My onc kept ordering a pet scan after every ct this last year, it makes for a stressful waiting game. I'm clear with a 1.8 cea as well, good til Feb. I was going to discuss the scan differences, but that's been well covered. Enjoy your ned, and each day. Heaven knows I'm trying to........Dave

Thank you

I hope we both can continue some NED time.  I will try to sit up straighter while on the IPad, lol.

My best,

Andrea