Been meaning to ask

jackflash22
jackflash22 Member Posts: 524 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

what is. A PET scan, you all have them after treatment but I,m not sure what they area 

Comments

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #2
    My small knowledge is

    they are a CT scan with radioactive isotopes.....the radioactive stuff highlights the tumors because of the sugar they like to ingest.  I've only had two....one before treatment, and one 3 months after treatments.  Since then I've only had CT scans.  The difference has been time (it doesn't take as long for a PET)....and you don't have to eat differently before a CT (a PET you can't have anything but meat and veggies the night before, and nothing after midnight).

    I know several people can give you the scientific poop......I'm just not very science orientated....LOL.

    p

  • spector551
    spector551 Member Posts: 109
    #3
    They will introduce a

    They will introduce a radioactive sugar into your body and then do a body scan. Tumors injest the sugar and show up on the scan. Basically, they are checking, not only the original site, but your entire body for any spreading.

     

  • TracyLynn72
    TracyLynn72 Member Posts: 839
    #4
    good question

    I've never had one...so I wasn't sure either :)

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #5
    scans?

    JF,

    The way I understood them was a PET shows activity (areas of interest) and the CT is for sizing the area of interest (tumors, cancers).

    Unless, you are talking about Phrannie’s dog  Lola.  She is a pet

    Yours truly,

    Matt

  • donfoo
    donfoo Member Posts: 1,773 Member
    #6
    Hi Jackie,Here are a couple

    Hi Jackie,

    Here are a couple videos of my first PET scan. These were made from the disc containing the scan results. There is a player included on the disc and I just made a video capture while I was reviewing them. For those who have not seen them up close it is pretty revealing. In fact, I had not seen these for nearly a year and they are pretty scary actually. I'm just thinking OMG!, how frickin scary that was in my neck and throat. I am truely blessed I am rid of it. Funny that at the time I was not nearly as shaken up, maybe I was in a state of shock then. don

    video1 of my PET

    video2 of PET

    CT from same series

     

  • spector551
    spector551 Member Posts: 109
    #7
    donfoo said:

    Hi Jackie,Here are a couple

    Hi Jackie,

    Here are a couple videos of my first PET scan. These were made from the disc containing the scan results. There is a player included on the disc and I just made a video capture while I was reviewing them. For those who have not seen them up close it is pretty revealing. In fact, I had not seen these for nearly a year and they are pretty scary actually. I'm just thinking OMG!, how frickin scary that was in my neck and throat. I am truely blessed I am rid of it. Funny that at the time I was not nearly as shaken up, maybe I was in a state of shock then. don

    video1 of my PET

    video2 of PET

    CT from same series

     

    Nice Don

    Thanks for sharing, I found it interesting because I haven't even watched mine yet lol.

     

    I'm assuming that the spots on your lungs were taken care of in treatment as well?

  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #8
    Kinda Like Mentioned...

    Only not quite exactly...

    The PET scan shows or lights up areas with high cellular (I believe) activity.. The tracer accumulates in those areas (again, I believe).

    BUT, it's not just limited to a tumor... It's any area with high activity. That's why residual, infection and things "other" than cancer also light up..., and the need for biopsy to determine just exactly what's going on in specific areas...

    and they cost about 3 - 4 times as much as a CT...

    JG

  • donfoo
    donfoo Member Posts: 1,773 Member
    #9
    spector551 said:

    Nice Don

    Thanks for sharing, I found it interesting because I haven't even watched mine yet lol.

     

    I'm assuming that the spots on your lungs were taken care of in treatment as well?

    lung spots did resolve

    Yes. Thanks for asking. It was the most worrisome part of my journey. After the rounds of induction chemo, there was near/complete resolution of the primary and lymph and the lung spots remained so the wisdom was if it was the same cancer it would have go away as well. So that at least lessened the fear of distant metastisis, leaving infection or inflammation as the likely cause. The first post tx PET finally showed the spots disappeard so big sigh of relief. 

  • jackflash22
    jackflash22 Member Posts: 524 Member
    #10
    donfoo said:

    Hi Jackie,Here are a couple

    Hi Jackie,

    Here are a couple videos of my first PET scan. These were made from the disc containing the scan results. There is a player included on the disc and I just made a video capture while I was reviewing them. For those who have not seen them up close it is pretty revealing. In fact, I had not seen these for nearly a year and they are pretty scary actually. I'm just thinking OMG!, how frickin scary that was in my neck and throat. I am truely blessed I am rid of it. Funny that at the time I was not nearly as shaken up, maybe I was in a state of shock then. don

    video1 of my PET

    video2 of PET

    CT from same series

     

    PET scan

    that's brilliant but scary. I wondered what the experts could see. thanks for putting them on, I think many of us wouldn't,t have a clue what can be seen on these scans, now we know. isn't,t modern medicine clever....where next will it go. maybe it will show cancerous areas and be able to zap them then and there and you come home clear of cancer, wouldn't,t that be wonderful

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