Cancer Loves Sugar - Integrative Oncology Essentials
If you are not 100% convinced that consuming sweet, sugary (simple carbohydrate) foods is a bad idea for anyone with cancer* take one look at this. As far as Im concerned there is absolutely nobetter image to really drive this point home and make it stick in your mind. What you are looking at is a PET/CT scan, the best radiology imaging tool available forhelping us find cancer hiding in the body. I order these almost every day in my practice. This PET/CT scan is of a man with cancer that has spread to almost all of the bones in his body (metastatic cancer). **The reason I show this to you is that PET/CTsuse sugar (18F-fluorodeoxyglucose or 18F-FDG, a radiolabelled glucose molecule) to highlight the location of cancer in the body.** If there was anything better than sugar to help us identify hidden cancer in the body we would be using it. The PET/CT study involves having the patient fast before their scan and then get an injection of this radioactive sugar. They are then asked to sit in the waiting room for about an hour, giving time for the sugar to circulate around the body and be gobbled up by hungry cancer cells. Sugar is the #1 food cancer cells prefer to eat, so they load up on this 18-FDG like a kid in a candy store. Then the patient is brought back to the PET/CT scanner and are scanned from head to toe. Anywhere the sugar accumulates (i.e. cancerous tumors) shows up like a lightbulb on the scan. This is what you are looking at in the rotating image above. If You Didnt Know How Bad Sugar Was Before You Arent Alone: Unfortunately, most conventionally trained medical doctors receive very little if any nutritional education in medical school or in resident training. As a result, it is hardly a surprise that the only snacks and drinks available to patients in most on Continue reading >>
Positron Emission Tomography (pet) Scan
A PET scan is a nuclear medicine imaging test. It uses a form of radioactive sugar to create 3D colour images to see how your bodys cells are working. PET uses a radioactive material (radiopharmaceutical) made up of a radioactive isotope that is attached to a material used in the body, usually sugar (glucose). It travels through the body and gathers in cells that are using a lot of energy, such as cancer cells. The radioactive material gives off tiny positively charged particles (positrons). A camera records the positrons and turns the recording into pictures on a computer. see how far the cancer has spread (staging) find out if cancer treatment is working or as part of follow-up check if cancer has come back (recurred) after treatment or spread to other parts of the body Combined PET-CT scanning joins a PET scan and a computed tomography (CT) scan into one test. It may provide a more complete image of a tumours location, growth or spread than either test alone. Before you have any nuclear medicine test, it is important to tell the nuclear staff if you are breastfeeding or pregnant or think you may be pregnant. Tell the nuclear medicine staff if you have diabetes. They may ask you to adjust your normal dose of diabetes medicine. not eat or drink anything for 4 to 6 hours avoid tobacco, caffeine, alcohol or vigorous exercise for 24 hours You may be told to not wear clothes with metal zippers, belts or buttons on the day of the scan. Or you may change into a gown for the test. If you are wearing glasses, jewellery or objects that could interfere with the test, you will be asked to take them off. Check with the nuclear medicine department to see if there is anything else you need to do before the test. A PET scan is usually done as an outpatient procedure in the nuclear m Continue reading >>
Pet Scan Findings Can Be False Positive
, Volume 19, Issue6 , pp 329330 | Cite as Positron emission tomographycomputed tomography (PET-CT) scans with [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and PETmagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have become standard practice in staging and restaging of colorectal cancer patients by providing important information about the primary cancer as well as metastases. The PET portion of this imaging modality relies on the accumulation of radioactive glucose analog, FDG. In cancer cells, there is an overproduction of glucose transporters and, as a result, increased FDG uptake. However, not all PET-positive lesions are cancer, and in many instances, PET findings can be false positive. A few points need to be considered before understanding FDG. First, not all cancer cells use the same amount of glucose: some use more and some use less. Cancer cells with a faster metabolic rate such as colorectal adenocarcinoma are very FDG avid, whereas others such as mucinous cancers consume less glucose and therefore are less FDG avid. Inflammatory cells also have increased metabolic rates and, as a result, are FDG avid. Many of us have had patients or know of patients who were treated by the medical oncologist for stage IV cancer only to find out what was assumed to be a metastatic lesion was benign on pathology. Other patients have undergone multiple biopsies of supposed metastatic mesenteric lymph nodes that subsequently turned out to be fat necrosis or a granulomatous reaction. FDG-positive lesions often mean cancer, but not always. A variety of lesions have increased FDG radiotracer including infection, inflammation, autoimmune processes, sarcoidosis, and benign tumors. If such conditions are not identified accurately and in a timely manner, misdiagnosis can lead to inadequate therapies. Within the low Continue reading >>
Pet/ct Cancer Imaging: Cancers Eat A Lot Of Sugar
PET/CT Cancer Imaging: Cancers Eat a lot of Sugar There are many different ways to detect and diagnose cancer. PET imaging is one way to accomplish this. For PET imaging, patients are injected with a small amount of a radioactively marked sugar which, once in the body, reach those organs and tissues that consume a lot of sugar. Tumors consume up to 30 times more sugar then normal tissue. Since the injected sugar is radioactive we can detect its location in the body with a scanner, the PET scanner. The scan then provides us with the following information. Is it cancer? What organs are involved? Has the cancer spread? Did the treatment work? These are questions that the oncologist and the patient and family wonder and hope for reliable and valid answers. One decade ago work began that resulted in what is now called the clinical PET/CT and it is the most exciting and novel imaging tool in oncology today. This tool has dramatically changed how these important questions are addressed. At UCLA over 7000 patients have been studied with the new technology and there is a diagnostic advantage in about 15% of patients with cancer over the previous PET scan alone. As a result more than 2000 PET/CT scanners have been installed worldwide. This presentation helps patients and their family members to understand how imaging techniques are an integral part of comprehensive cancer care. PET/CT imaging plays a vital role in determining stage, and effectiveness of treatments and there is clinical evidence that it is superior to PET or CT alone. Several types of cancer will be used to illustrate how PET/CT is used in diseases such as breast, lung cancer and lymphoma and sarcoma. Johannes Czernin, MD, Professor, Vice Chairman Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, Director of Nuclear Medicine a Continue reading >>
Pet Scan: Purpose, Procedure & Risks
A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is an imaging test that allows your doctor to check for diseases in your body. The scan uses a special dye that has radioactive tracers. These tracers are injected into a vein in your arm. Your organs and tissues then absorb the tracer. When highlighted under a PET scanner, the tracers help your doctor to see how well your organs and tissues are working. The PET scan can measure blood flow, oxygen use, glucose metabolism (how your body uses sugar), and much more. A PET scan is typically an outpatient procedure. This means you can go about your day after the test is finished. Your doctor may order a PET scan to inspect the blood flow, oxygen intake, and metabolism of your organs and tissues. PET scans are most commonly used to detect: The PET scan involves radioactive tracers, but the exposure to harmful radiation is minimal. According to the Mayo Clinic , radiation levels are too low to affect normal processes in your body. The risks of the test are minimal compared with how beneficial the results can be in diagnosing serious medical conditions. The tracer is essentially glucose (sugar) with the radioactive component attached. This makes it very easy for your body to eliminate the tracers, even if you have a history of kidney disease or diabetes . However, radiation is not considered safe for developing fetuses. If youre pregnant, think you may be pregnant, or youre breast-feeding, you shouldnt get a PET scan. There are times that, in order to get a more thorough image, a PET scan is combined with a CT scan (computerized tomography scan). If additional radioactive tracer is needed for the CT scan , it can be harmful to people who have kidney disease or who have elevated creatinine level from other medications they are already t Continue reading >>
About Pet Scans
Description: PET is a nuclear medicine medical imaging technique that produces a 3-D image of functional processes in the body. A PET scan uses a small amount of a radioactive drug, or tracer, to show differences between healthy tissue and diseased tissue. The most commonly used tracer is called FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose), so the test is sometimes called an FDG-PET scan. Before the PET scan, a small amount of FDG is injected into the patient. Because cancer grows at a faster rate than healthy tissue, cancer cells absorb more of the FDG. The PET scanner detects the radiation given off by the FDG and produces color-coded images of the body that show both normal and cancerous tissue. Currently, many PET scanners also include a conventional computed tomography (CT) scanner. This allows images of both anatomy (CT) and function (PET) to be taken during the same examination. Example of uses: PET scans can be used to view, monitor, or diagnose Preparation: Your doctor will give you detailed instructions on how to prepare for your scan. A general rule is to not eat anything for at least 6 hours before the scan. You will be encouraged to drink water. Wear comfortable clothes. During the Exam: A nurse or technologist will take you to a special room where you will receive an intravenous (IV) injection of the radioactive drug. Sometimes, you will be asked to inhale the drug instead. Then you will wait30 to 90 minutes for the drug to travel through your body and accumulate in the tissues being studied. During this time, you will rest quietly and avoid movement. You wont be able to feel the drug in your body. The PET scanner is a large machine with a hole in the middle. It looks like a donut with a table in the middle. You will lie on the table. The table will slide into the machine. Y Continue reading >>
About Your Pet-ct With Fdg Tracer
An arrowing pointing forward, usually indicating forward movement, or the ability the share something via social media. An icon showing an uppercase letter "X", indicating that this will close the current element. This information will help you prepare for your positron emission tomography (PET) computed tomography (CT) scan with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) tracer at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK). A PET-CT scan is an imaging procedure thats used to: See how the tissues and organs in your body are working. Find and diagnose many disorders, such as cancer. Most PET scans are done to study your bodys use of glucose (a type of sugar). This is because cancer cells take in glucose faster than normal tissue. Because you get glucose from food and drinks, its important that you follow the dietary guidelines listed in the The Day of Your PET-CT section. Youll have a low dose CT scan done at the same time as your PET. CT scans take a fast series of x-ray pictures. The x-ray pictures are combined with your PET scan to create pictures of the soft tissues and bones in the area that was scanned. You may also be scheduled for a diagnostic CT at the same time as your PET-CT. If youre also having a diagnostic CT scan, ask your nurse for the resource Computed Tomography (CT) Scan . Before your PET-CT, youll get a radioactive medication with glucose called a tracer through an intravenous (IV) line in your arm. This is done to show differences between healthy tissue and diseased tissue. Your PET-CT will use FDG as the tracer. FDG is taken up by your cells and doesnt stay in your body long. You may need to have contrast before your scan. Contrast is a special dye used to make it easier for your doctor to see differences in your internal organs. There are different types of contrast used for i Continue reading >>
Pet Scan - Diagnostic Tests For Cancer | Ctca
Positron emission tomography scan (PET scan) Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear imaging technique that creates detailed, computerized pictures of organs and tissues inside the body. A PET scan reveals how the body is functioning and uncovers areas of abnormal metabolic activity. During a PET scan, the patient is first injected with a glucose (sugar) solution that contains a very small amount of radioactive material. The substance is absorbed by the particular organs or tissues being examined. The patient rests on a table and slides into a large tunnel-shaped scanner. The PET scanner is then ableto "see" damaged or cancerous cells where the glucose is being taken up (cancer cells often use more glucose than normal cells) and the rate at whichthe tumor is using theglucose (whichcan help determine the tumor grade). The procedure is painless and varies in length, depending on the part of the body that is being evaluated. A PET scan can be used to detect cancerous tissues and cells in the body that may not always be found through computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Continue reading >>
Pet Scan | Oncolink
PET stands for Positron Emission Tomography. It is a medical test that uses a radioactive substance, also known as a tracer. The tracer can be injected, swallowed or inhaled (as a gas) into the body. After it enters your body, it goes to areas that have higher levels of chemical activity (such as areas where there is cancer or other disease). Tumor cells have a high rate of metabolism (chemical activity) and because of this, they take up more of the tracer. When PET is used in cancer patients, the tracer is typically attached to glucose (a sugar molecule). This combination is called FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose). Tumor cells take up glucose. This makes the cancer cells appear more "active" than other areas on the scan pictures. It is important to remember that a PET scan is not able to differentiate between activity due to tumor and activity due to non-cancerous processes, such as inflammation or infection. Often, a PET scan is combined with a CT scan in one test. The machine merges the images from the PET and CT together to determine functional (PET) and structural information (CT). A PET/CT test helps to diagnose cancer and provide additional information, including whether a tumor is benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous), whether the cancer cells are active or dead, and how well the cancer is responding to treatment. You will be given detailed instructions but in general: Bring a list of the medications that you are taking, brief medical history, and treatments that you have had (chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery). If you take any medications for diabetes, you may be instructed not to take these, as they could interfere with the FDG tracer. You will be given instructions as to how long you need to fast (not eat) prior to the test. You should avoid vigo Continue reading >>
Pet Scan | Cancer In General | Cancer Research Uk
Find out about having a PET scanwhat it is, how you have it and what happens afterwards. PET stands for positron emission tomography. This type of scan can show how body tissues are working, as well as what they look like. Not everybody who has cancer will need to have a PET scan. Other types of tests and scans may be more suitable. Youll usually have a PET scan in the x-ray radiologydepartment as an outpatient. These scanners tend to be only in the major cancer hospitals. So you might have to travel to another hospital to have one. A radiographer operates the scanner. It usually takes between 30 and 60 minutes. find out the stage of a cancer, so doctors know how big it is and whether it has spread show whether a cancer has spread to other parts of the body decide the best treatment for your cancer PET scans can also show how well a cancer drug is working. After you have had treatment for cancer, a CT scan may show that there are still some signs of the cancer left. But this may not be active disease. It could be scar tissue left over from cancer killed off by your treatment. A PET scan can show whether this tissue is active cancer or not. PET scans are sometimes used to look for cancer in the lymph nodes in the centre of the chest. For most PETscans, youneed to stop eating for about 6 hours beforehand. You can usually drink water during this time. You might have instructions not to do any strenuous exercise for 24 hours before the scan. Call the number on your appointment letter if not eating is a problem for you, for example if youre diabetic. You might need to adapt your diet and sugar control and your appointment time could change. Some people feel claustrophobic when theyre having a scan. Contact the department staff before your test if youre likely to feel like t Continue reading >>
Pet Scans: Uses, Risks, And Procedure
A positron emission tomography, also known as a PET scan, uses radiation to show activity within the body on a cellular level. It is most commonly used in cancer treatment, neurology, and cardiology . Combined with a CT or MRI scan , a PET scan can produce multidimensional, color images of the inside workings of the human body. It shows not only what an organ looks like, but how it is functioning . A PET scan is used to diagnose certain health conditions, to plan treatment, to find out how an existing condition is developing, and to see how effective a treatment is. Here are some key points about PET scans. More detail is in the main article. PET scans are often used to diagnose a condition or to track how it is developing. Used alongside a CT or MRI scan, it can show how a part of the body is working. PET scans are often used to investigate epilepsy , Alzheimer's disease , cancer, and heart disease A scan is not painful, but patients should not consume any food for at least 4 to 6 hours before a scan. They should drink plenty of water. PET scans demonstrate the physical state and function of organs. In a PET scan, a machine detects radiation that is emitted by a radiotracer. A radiotracer consists of radioactive material that is tagged to a natural chemical, such as glucose. This radiotracer is injected into the body, where it travels to cells that use glucose for energy. The more energy a group of cells needs, the more the radiotracer will build up in that location. This will show up on images that are reconstructed by a computer. The cells, or activity, will show up as "hot spots" or "cold spots." Active areas are bright on a PET scan. They are known as "hot spots." Where cells need less energy, the areas will be less bright . These are "cold spots." Compared with n Continue reading >>
Positron Emission Tomography Scan
PET scans of the brain for Alzheimer's disease PET scans of the brain for Alzheimer's disease A PET scan can compare a normal brain (left) with one affected by Alzheimer's disease (right). An increase in blue and green colors shows decreased brain metabolic activity due to Alzheimer's disease. A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is an imaging test that helps reveal how your tissues and organs are functioning. A PET scan uses a radioactive drug (tracer) to show this activity. This scan can sometimes detect disease before it shows up on other imaging tests. The tracer may be injected, swallowed or inhaled, depending on which organ or tissue is being studied. The tracer collects in areas of your body that have higher levels of chemical activity, which often correspond to areas of disease. On a PET scan, these areas show up as bright spots. A PET scan is useful in revealing or evaluating several conditions, including many cancers, heart disease and brain disorders. Often, PET images are combined with CT or MRI scans to create special views. This PET image shows an area of reduced blood flow from one of the arteries that feeds the heart. This information may help doctors decide whether to suggest bypass surgery or angioplasty to restore that blood flow. A PET scan is an effective way to examine the chemical activity in parts of your body. It may help identify a variety of conditions, including many cancers, heart disease and brain disorders. The pictures from a PET scan provide information different from that uncovered by other types of scans, such as computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A PET scan or a combined CT-PET scan enables your doctor to better diagnose illness and assess your condition. Cancer cells show up as bright spots on PET Continue reading >>
Metabolic Pet Imaging In Cancer Detection And Therapy Response
Metabolic PET Imaging in Cancer Detection and Therapy Response We are experimenting with display styles that make it easier to read articles in PMC. The ePub format uses eBook readers, which have several "ease of reading" features already built in. The ePub format is best viewed in the iBooks reader. You may notice problems with the display of certain parts of an article in other eReaders. Generating an ePub file may take a long time, please be patient. Metabolic PET Imaging in Cancer Detection and Therapy Response Positron emission tomography (PET) is a noninvasive imaging technique that provides a functional or metabolic assessment of normal tissue or disease conditions. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET imaging (FDG-PET) is widely used clinically for tumor imaging due to increased glucose metabolism in most types of tumors, and has been shown to improve the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of cancers. In this chapter, we review its use in cancer diagnosis, staging, restaging, and assessment of response to treatment. In addition, other metabolic PET imaging agents in research or clinical trial stages are discussed, including amino acid analogs based on increased protein synthesis, and choline, which is based on increased membrane lipid synthesis. Amino acid analogs and choline are more specific to tumor cells than FDG, so they play an important role in differentiating cancers from benign conditions and in the diagnosis of cancers with low FDG uptake or high background FDG uptake. For decades, researchers have shown that tumors have altered metabolic profiles and display elevated uptake of glucose, amino acids, and lipids, which can be used for cancer diagnosis and monitoring of the therapeutic response with excellent signal-to-noise ratios. Positron Emission Tomography (P Continue reading >>
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Positron Emission Tomography And Computed Tomography (pet-ct) Scans
Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography (PET-CT) Scans Approved by the Cancer.Net Editorial Board , 06/2018 A PET scan may be combined with a CT scan at many cancer treatment centers. But you may hear your doctor refer to this procedure just as a PET scan. A PET-CT scan is one way to find cancer and learn its stage. Stage is a way to describe where the cancer is, if it has spread, and if it is changing how your organs work. Knowing this helps you and your doctor choose the best treatment. It also helps doctors predict your chance of recovery. Find out if the cancer treatment is working. How is a PET-CT scan different than a CT scan? Doctors combine these tests because a CT scan and PET scan show different things. A CT scan shows detailed pictures of tissues and organs inside the body. A PET scan shows abnormal activity. The 2 scans together provide more information about the cancer. A PET scan creates pictures of organs and tissues in the body. First, a technician gives you an injection of a small amount of a radioactive substance. Your organs and tissues pick up this substance. And areas that use more energy pick up more. Cancer cells pick up a lot, because they tend to use more energy than healthy cells. The PET scan shows where the radioactive substance is in your body. A CT scan takes pictures of the inside of the body using x-rays taken from different angles. A computer combines these images into a detailed, 3-dimensional image that shows anything abnormal, including tumors. Sometimes, a special dye called a contrast medium is given before the scan to provide better detail on the image. PET scans, CT scans, and PET-CT scans do have risks. One risk is radiation exposure. The radiation exposure from a PET-CT scan is similar to a total-body CT scan done Continue reading >>
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The Role Of Pet Scan In Diagnosis, Staging, And Management Of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
The Role of PET Scan in Diagnosis, Staging, and Management of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Respiratory Oncology Unit (Pulmonology) and Leuven Lung Cancer Group, University Hospital, Catholic University, Leuven, Belgium Johan Vansteenkiste, M.D., Ph.D., Respiratory Oncology Unit (Pulmonology), University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. Telephone: 32-16-346800; Fax: 32-16-346803; e-mail: johan.vansteenkiste{at}uz.kuleuven.ac.be Positron emission tomography (PET) is now an important cancer imaging tool, both for diagnosis and staging, as well as offering prognostic information based on response. This report attempts to comprehensively review the value of PET in the locoregional and distant staging of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), illustrate the potential effects on patient management, and give a short overview of newer applications. PET sets the gold standard in the evaluation of an indeterminate solitary pulmonary nodule or mass, where PET has proven to be significantly more accurate than computed tomography (CT) in the distinction between benign and malignant lesions. In the evaluation of metastatic spread to locoregional lymph nodes, PET is significantly more accurate than CT, so that invasive surgical staging may be omitted in many patients with negative mediastinal PET images. In patients with positive mediastinal PET mages, invasive surgical staging remains mandatory because of the possibility of false-positive findings due to inflammatory nodes or granulomatous disorders. In the search for metastatic spread, PET is a useful adjunct to conventional imaging. This may be due to the finding of unexpected metastatic lesions or due to exclusion of malignancy in lesions that are equivocal on standard imaging. However, at this time, PET do Continue reading >>
