PET Scan Results

[anrean]

Hi

If a PET scan light up, is it cancer or could it be something else?

[Texas64]

Hi Anrean

My husbands had a pet scan and it lit up. He did not have cancer but a granuloma So I guess not all are cancer

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer]

Agreed. Not all spots that light up are cancer. It could be nodules inflamed by a cold, allergies, auto fumes, cleaning fumes, asthma and anything else that irritates your lungs. The PET scan is so sensitive that some drs warn patients not to exercise too much the day before a test because the muscles worked burn brighter on the scan.

[jpoehlmann]

As your other replies have indicated, there are multiple reasons that a PET scan will "light up." It glows where there is concentrated glucose uptake by the cells. Cancer cells divide rapidly, so there is high glucose consumption where cancer cells are growing. But an infection, for example, could have the same visual result. There are other visual cues in the PET scan that *might* help a radiologist pinpoint a probable cancer, but a full and proper diagnosis does not happen from a fuzzy image of glowing spots.

[Memaw0100]

I was warned before my first scan that it could show problems that weren't cancer. So, don't borrow trouble until you know for sure!

[anrean in reply to Memaw0100]

I was told that there are 3 significant legions and 10 smaller ones. The biggest legion was big enough to biopsied and was ca. That doc was the 2nd opinion one, and he said all 3 of the legions are ca, but I ended up going back to the original doc because they have all the records from my other cancers, and was told by my breast ca doc that they might not be ca - won't know until they are biopsied...you can see how it gets confusing. Also, my primary and pulmonologist do not like the 2nd opinion people at all. I wish all of this would go away!

[FtB_Peggy]

Anrean, I am so sorry you are going through so much right now. I pray you have answers soon, answers that lift your heart.