What is a pet scan? My best friend has been diagnosed with 4 stage lung cancer by a doctor who ...?

had only read a "CT report and biopsy report". We were refered by the general surgeon. We were then told it was inoperatable and he had less than 6 months to live. I thought this was unacceptable because I don't think he had all the information he needed. Am I wrong? We waited in the examining room while he read the report. My friend first had a MRI because he hurt his back.The MRI showed he had "disc degereration and posterial marginal osteophyte disc bulge and spinal canal stenoses". He was going to a pain management Dr. but got no relief from the pain, only stayed doped up. We changed Drs, but he has not recieved this report nor saw the MRI. MY firend then had the CT and and showed a growth on his lung. Then the biopsy. They are now scheduleing a PET. I know that biospies can show false positive as well as a CT but what about the PET? Are there any "true" tests? He had none of the signs of lung cancer except weight loss...no coughing, no blood, no pain except his back.

A PET Scan is a used in the diagnosis of Lung cancer and Lymphoma. Don't worry had a couple myself. You are told not to eat for a12 hours prior to the test - just water. This starves the body of glucose. Then they give you an injection of radioactive glucose in the back of you hand and tell you to sit still for about half an hour. The glucose then collects in the sites of most cellular activity (eg cancer or lymphoma ). You are then scanned (in a tube with a sliding table - a bit like a CT scan) It takes about half an hour in there - but dependant on how much of you they scan. You will get the results from your doctor after a radiographer has looked at it. Does not hurt in fact I fell asleep during one of my scans.

The test shows areas of high glucose take up (compared with tr he rest of the body) usually the cells dividing most rapidly and thus cancerous. The only real way to tell if cancerous (malignant or benign) is through a biopsy.

Nothing to worry about in fact in my case the scan was more accurate than the CT scans. Hope all goes well and the tests put you mind at rest.

A pet scan is like a xray that they do to find out how big the cancer is or they can campare to see if it grows. Our best friends husband just pasted away from cancer in Jan. He had alot of these scans.

PET Scan: Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

PET scans may be useful in determining the extent of spread of certain cancers, assessing how the cancer responds to treatment, and determining if the cancer has recurred.

PET scans are also used to detect the extent of heart disease, alzhiemer's, and other brain disorders.

I hope he'll be ok.

A PET scan is a "Positron Emission Tomography" scan, a way doctors can image stuff while it's happening inside you. This will enable the doctors to investigate the "growth" without affecting it, so they can get the most accurate estimation of what it is and how to procede.

There are no "true" tests for ANYTHING in the world, unfortunately, almost anything has exceptions...

Best wishes to your friend.

What I've been hearing is that beating lung cancer is not as unlikely as it may've been considered ten or fifteen years ago. Although it's a tough one there is in some cases hope. This friend should avail himself to state of the art cancer treatment as well as whole body treatment. Get him/her into a cancer specialty center such as Cancer Treatment Centers of America. There are several of these hospitals across north america. They have treatments and can sometimes give a far better prognosis than a local dr or a gen surgeon. I'm not promising anything but it may be worth a shot. Use google to search for it. Make calls.