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Results of a breast PET/CT Exam
In cancer, cells begin to grow at a much faster rate, feeding on sugars like
glucose. PET/CT works by using CT to build an anatomical image of the body,
especially the breast area, and PET to gauge the biochemical function of the
tumour, so that it can be found or aged, depending on whether the exam is for
diagnosis or treatment options.
PET/CT use a small amount of a radioactive drug, which is normally FDG: a tracer
in combination with a compound such as glucose. Once injected the FDG tracer
travels through the body.
FDG emits signals as it travels and eventually collects in the organs targeted
for examination. If an area in an organ is cancerous, the signals will be stronger
(as shown on the images) since more glucose will be absorbed in those areas.
Your physician or surgeon will pick up theses stronger images.
In a majority of breast cancer cases, if the cancer has affected the lymph
nodes near to the tumor, the cancer cells will take up more of the radioactive
glucose.
Knowing if cancer cells have entered the lymph nodes is critical in deciding
what treatment to utilize. In a single whole-body picture, the PET/CT scan can
look throughout your whole body to see if there are any clumps of the cancer
cells to indicate that the cancer has spread.
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