Hi
I wondered if anyone had experience of PET scans. I had a CT scan last week which showed that my Lung mets were stable but revealed a yiny lesion on the top of my liver that hadn’t been there before. The oncologist and radiologist decided to do an ultrasound to investigate further which was done yesterday but despite a thorough scan she couldn’t find it.
She thinks we should leave it for a further 3 months and check the next CT scan but I’m concerned that I don’t know what it is. It’s only 8 months since chemo for the lung mets finished and I’m on Arinidex. I’ve been trying to find out about PET scans and would appreciate anyone’s experiences
Thanks Kathryn
Hi Kathryn
I had a PET scan back in June which picked up my liver secondary. It didn’t give much detail though other than that it was there and was definitely cancer. They followed it up with an MRI which gave a clearer picture in terms of how it related to the blood vessels etc.
Don’t know what info you want about the PET scan - you have an injection of a radioactive material and then have to wait about an hour before being scanned. As I understand it, any cancer takes up more of the radioactive material than other tissue does, and so it “glows” on the scan whereas non-cancerous growths don’t show up in the same way.
Can give you more details of the actual process if that would be useful - just let me know. Kay
Thanks Kay
It’s my oncologist’s view that based on the report from the radiographer that my liver is clear but if I am still worried I can have an MRI. I just wonder if the PET scan would give more certainty but you seem to have had a subsequent MRI.
Can I ask where you had your scan. I hope your treatment is going well and thanks for your help.
Best Wishes Kathryn
Hi Kathryn
The liver consultant I’m seeing was quite definite about the MRI giving him the best detail but then he was looking at it for different reasons to you, ie we did already know it was a secondary cancer and the question was over whether it was operable or not. Unfortunately my MRI showed that the tumour was too close to the portal vein and he couldn’t get clearance around it, so I’m half way through 18 weekly sessions of chemo in the hope that it will shrink enough to make it operable. I actually go for the results of a second MRI tomorrow - so fingers crossed that the chemo is working!
I live Guildford so went to the Guildford Diagnostic Imaging Centre next to the Royal Surrey Hospital - they have been really good there each time I’ve been. Once for the PET scan, and then 4 times for MRIs (each time I go for the MRI they do one session, they then give me a contrast agent and scan me again the next day - it’s called a Tessler MRI I think).
So still not sure which is better for diagnostic purposes but certainly the MRI scans were really clear and detailed.
All the best Kay
Kay
Will keep my fingers crossed for you. Waiting to hear what my Tumour Markers are doing before making any decision
Best Wishes
Kathryn