PET or Positron Emission Tomography and CT or Computed Tomography imaging technology have become an integral part of cancer detection and evaluation of the extent of tumor. The advance of technology has brought avenues for cancer patients to undergo PET CT scan in Kerala, as well get exceptionally good diagnosis results. Unlike most imaging technology, PET is a nuclear medicine imaging technique that delivers high density 3D images or pictures of the various functional metabolic activities in the cells of the body.
Let us have a better understanding of nuclear medicine PET scan
In a PET scan, a radio-active substance known as ‘tracer’ is administered through the vein with an eye to identify the presence of maligned growth in any part of the body. The substance travels across the body through the veins and amasses in tissues and organs of the body where the metabolic activity is higher. A single Positron Emission Tomography scan has the ability to map and image the cellular activities of a human body helping in cancerous growth detection.
Though PET scans have the ability to map the entire cellular activities of a human body accurately, it cannot differentiate between cancer, inflammation, or infection. As a result, PET diagnosis for cancer may not be able to differentiate between these. This can lead to further ambiguity and to other tests that can add greatly to the cost of the treatment. As a result, PET and CT scanning are often done at the same cancer detection centre for the best possible result.
While PET can deliver details about the areas where metabolic activities are high, the CT can provide specific details to the type of disturbance in the body. These combined Pet CT scanning results can help the doctor arrive at a more concrete and specific information about the cancerous growth in the body, if any.
PET CT Scanning is often used to also understand how the cancerous growth is subduing during the treatment. It is often advised to be taken at an interval of between three to six months in the first year of cancer treatment. In the second year, the scans usually are done at a time period of six months and from the fifth year onwards, it is done once every year. For patients that suspect any re-growth or recurrence of cancer is suspected, it may need to be done every year throughout the lifetime.
Nuclear medicine PET scan has changed the way cancer is identified and diagnosed and it has come a long way since it was first used to determine cancerous growth. As the technology has been reaching every nook and corner of the world, swifter and better diagnosis has been made possible. This has undoubtedly improved the quality of cancer treatment for everyone.