ASBESTOS NEWS
Doctors use a PET Scan to identify lung cancer cells

The PET scan is a tool that may be employed to identify lung cancer cells stemming from asbestos exposure.

PET scanning is a specialized imaging technique that uses short-lived radioactive substances to produce three-dimensional colored images of those substances functioning within the body.

While CT scans and MRI scans look at anatomical structures, PET scans measure metabolic activity and functioning of tissue. PET scans can determine whether a tumor tissue is actively growing and can aid in determining the type of cells within a particular tumor.

In PET scanning, the patient receives a short half-lived radioactive drug and receives approximately the amount of radiation exposure as with two chest x-rays. The drug discharges positrons from wherever they are used in the body. As the positrons encounter electrons within the body, a reaction producing gamma rays occurs.

A scanner records these gamma rays and maps the area where the drug is located. For example, combining glucose (a common energy source in the body) with a radioactive substance will show where glucose is being used in a growing tumor.