PET Scan for Cancer Follow-Up: Can It Show Whether Treatment Is Working?
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A PET scan for cancer can play an important role in follow-up care by showing how active a tumour appears after treatment. It may help doctors assess whether cancer has responded, remained stable, progressed or returned. However, a PET scan is not interpreted in isolation. Specialists compare it with previous scans, CT or MRI findings, symptoms, blood tests and the type and timing of treatment. For patients treated with surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, conventional radiation or CyberKnife S7, follow-up imaging helps guide the next stage of care. A PET scan can provide valuable information, but it does not always give an immediate or final answer about whether treatment has worked. What Is a PET Scan for Cancer? PET stands for positron emission tomography. In oncology, a PET scan is frequently combined with CT imaging, creating a PET-CT scan . The CT scan shows the body’s anatomy, including tumour size and location, while the PET component shows metabolic a...