PET CT

A PET-CT scan combines a CT scan and a PET scan. It gives detailed information about your cancer. The CT scan takes a series of x-rays from all around your body and puts them together to create a 3 dimensional (3D) picture.

The PET scan uses a mildly radioactive drug to show up areas of your body where cells are more active than normal.

PET-CT scans are for many types of cancer. They are generally thought to be more accurate in diagnosing cancer than PET or CT scans alone. PET-CT scans can help to:

• Diagnose cancer
• Find out how big a cancer is and whether it has spread (stage a cancer)
• Decide whether you can have surgery to remove your cancer
• Decide which is the best treatment for your cancer
• Check whether your cancer has come back
• Plan radiotherapy treatment

A PET-CT scan can also show how well a cancer treatment is working.

After you have had treatment for cancer, a scan may show an area that looks like there might still be some cancer left. This might not be cancer but scar tissue left over from the cancer killed off by your treatment. A PET-CT scan can sometimes show whether this tissue is active cancer or not.