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Results of a Colorectal Cancer PET/CT Exam
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 colon cancer, if the lymph nodes nearby the tumor or if a distant organ
such as the liver has become involved by the cancer, they will take up more
of the radioactive glucose and again be seen more ‘brightly’ by the surgeon.
In colon cancer, staging how far into the colon the tumor has grown and whether
or not it has spread beyond it, either to the lymph nodes or to distant organs
is extremely important. Earlier stage may be curable; however, in most cases
cancer that has spread to other organs is incurable.
CT scanning looks at the size of the lymph nodes and PET is determines if cancerous
cells are alive in that area. In a whole-body scan, the PET scan can look throughout
your whole body to see if there are any clumps of the cancer cells that have
spread, and the CT can build up an accurate location picture that is superimposed
over the PET results, thus aiding complete accuracy in staging and location
of a cancer.
PET scan can make the difference in determining whether surgery should be done
as well as chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
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