PET-CT Cancer

PET-CT scans are used for diagnosing many types of cancer and is generally thought to be more accurate in diagnosing cancer than PET or CT scan alone. From the research, we know that in almost all types of cancers PET-CT scans can help to
- Diagnose cancer
- Stage a cancer
- Make decisions about whether you can have surgery to remove your cancer
- Make decisions about which is the best treatment for your cancer
- Show how well the treatment is working
- Show the difference between scar tissue and active cancer tissue
- Check whether your cancer has come back
- Find the place in the body where your cancer first started to grow (primary cancer)After you have had treatment for cancer, a scan may show that there are still some signs of the cancer left.

But this may not be active cancer. It could be scar tissue left over from cancer killed off by your treatment. A PET-CT scan can sometimes show whether this tissue is active cancer or not.