PET scans vs CT and MRIs

[Red1246]

Hi!

There is some question about the efficacy of PET scans VS CT and MRIs. I’ve been told PETS are more sensitive and therefore often produce false negative or false positive results. Another METS patient was told PET scans are more accurate. Which is it?

Thank you, Kathleen

[Red1246]

I posted above question re PET scans thinking it was a nurse practitioner from SHARE who’d reply. Think I posted in wrong place. Will try to correct.

[hanus]

I have had two pet scans and both showed false positives. I even had lymph nodes removed because they showed uptake of tracer. Now I just have CT with contrast. Seems to be more precise-but I just wish doctors would take the time to show them to us and talk about them.

[Red1246 in reply to hanus]

Interesting and thanks for sharing that. Sorry about the unnecessary lymph node removal. 🙁 I’ve never thought about seeing scans but you’re right. My oncologist does go into the results fairly thoroughly however. My appointments are by phone at the moment due to Covid so she couldn’t show me the scans but I’ll ask if things ever return to normal. I feel like we’re a long way off here in California.

Prayers for the research team at Oxford working on a vaccine. They seem to have made the most progress and are the first to use humans for testing this. Even if they’re successful by end of the year, it’s going to take a very long time to administer the vaccine to the world population. We won’t feel really safe out and about until it’s readily available.

Take care! K