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PET Scans and CAT Scans

When someone is diagnosed with cancer, they're forced to learn a whole new set of medical terms to help them understand their disease and its treatments. Two words they may become intimately familiar with are 'PET scan" or 'CAT scan'. PET scan and CAT scan are both non-invasive, diagnostic tool a doctor will use to look inside the body. They're both used to pin point cancer, but have very different objectives and methods. "So PET scan measures activity within a cell. It doesn't have to be cancer but cancers tend to be more active than the surrounding tissue," says Dr. Frank Rodriguez oncologist with Lee Memorial Health System. PET scan stands for Position Emission Tomography. It uses sugar marked with a radioactive molecule. Active cells consume sugar and therefore are able to be tracked. "So they will then concentrate or absorb a lot more of that radioactive molecule, and it will sit within that cancer for a period of time. Then using a camera we can see where the radioactivity is," says Dr. Rodriguez. While the PET scan allows doctors to distinguish between living and dead tissue, the CAT or Computerize Tomography scan offers a different perspective. "CAT scan, for example, measure density if you have something in, for example, the liver," says Dr. Rodriguez. The CAT scan detects changes in the body structure, such as the size, shape and exact location of an abnormal growth. "So when I see somebody who has either breast cancer or colon cancers or lymphoma or any other malignancies, you want to make sure that you have a clear understanding of where their tumors are," says Dr. Rodriguez. Alone, each imaging test has its benefits and limitations. But by combining these two state-of-the-art technologies, doctors can more accurately diagnose and monitor cancer. View More Health Matters video segments at www.leememorial.org/healthmatters Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we've been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries. Visit www.leememorial.org/caring