Positron Emission Tomography or PET Scan is a medical imaging process. PET Scans are helpful in detecting biological changes and the presence of small cancerous tumors in the body. As a Mesothelioma diagnostic tool, it finds out if the tumor is benign or malignant and the extent to which the tumor has spread to the other parts of the body.
PET Scans may also help find out if treatment therapies are working effectively or if surgery is necessary for treatment of mesothelioma cancer. Pet Scans can help doctors get an idea of the following:
§ Whether thickening of the pleura or peritoneum is a scar tissue or indicative of Mesothelioma.
§ The extent of spread of cancer to the lymph nodes and other distant organs of the body.
§ The locations of abnormal activity and cancer active areas.
§ PETs will measure the cancer’s metabolic function and help track the effects of radiation and chemotherapy to help doctors determine if surgery is required for Mesothelioma treatment.
PET Scan Cancer Diagnosis and Staging
PET Scans are useful in finding out inoperable tumors. It has proven use in diagnosis of lymphoma, melanoma and lung, colon, rectum, esophagus, throat, and mouth cancers. PETs can also help determine Mesothelioma staging or metastasis of the cancerous tumor in the body.
In addition to diagnosis, PETs help in the management of Mesothelioma cancer. Patients with Mesothelioma cancer may have pleural thickening but malignancies may be present in few focal areas. Areas of pleural thickening do not necessarily correspond to high metabolic activity areas. Because information of metabolically active areas are provided by PETs, these can be correlated with anatomic imaging reports like CT scan to determine the site of biopsy for obtaining definite information.
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