This document summarizes PET scans, including their common uses, methods, strengths, limitations, and applications for cancer treatment. PET scans use radioactive tracers and detected gamma rays to produce images showing metabolic activity in the body. They are useful for cancer diagnosis, staging, and assessing treatment effectiveness. While expensive and exposing patients to radiation, PET scans provide functional information not visible through other imaging methods and can guide care without invasive procedures.

1. PET Scan
Jennifer Guan and Rebecca Zheng

2. Common Uses
Generally used with X-rays or MRI.
Used to make diagnosis or to get more
data,
PET scans are also especially useful for
cancer treatment and prevention

3. Cancer
 PET scans are especially effective in cancer treatment.
They can show
 cancer
 stage of cancer
 whether cancer has spread
 effectiveness of ongoing chemotherapy
 a PET scan after several weeks after starting radiation
treatment for lung cancer can indicate whether tumor will
respond to treatment.

4. Method
1. Inject radioactive
substance into participant
2. Produces gamma rays as it
is metabolized by the brain
3. Gamma rays produced
detected by machine
4. Signal turned into
computer image that
displays colorful map of
activity in different parts of
the brain

5. Limitations
 low spatial resolution compared to other types of
scanning methods
 small abnormalities cannot be detected easily
 if patient moves during process, it will cause blurs which
could cause misinterpretations
 limit on amount of radionuclide makes difficult to clearly
see tissues
 can miss certain abnormalities and misinterpret data

6. Limitations
 Tracer takes 30-60 minute to reach area in body than
scanning process takes between 45 - 60 minutes, during
which patient must try to remain still
 can cause discomfort especially to those who have difficulty
remaining still for long period of time
 PET equipment is expensive and susceptible to breaking
down
 Therefore procedure is also expensive
 in 2010, a PET scan can cost from 5,720 to 8,900 RMB

7. Limitations
 Radionuclide tracer can be dangerous to or should be
avoided by
 patients who are sensitive to radiation
 patients who are pregnant, may become pregnant or are
breast feeding
 Radioactivity stays in body for a length of time
 patients must stay away from anyone who is pregnant, the
elderly and those with decreased immunity
 Radioactive exposure means patient can only undergo
PET scans a limited number of times

8. Strengths
 PET scan shows how a part of the patients body is
functioning, rather than just how it looks.
 Can show how effective a particular treatment is
 Early detection. Earliest symptoms often show through
cellular respiration and PET scans can show that.
 MRI scans for example can only show structure change

9. Strengths
 Able to show characteristics (such as whether cancer has
spread within body) that otherwise would need surgery
to show
 Limits patient discomfort and risk of infection
 Can scan large area of body
 typical body scan will go from shoulders to thigh
 Can show whether tumor is benign (non-cancerous) or
malignant (cancerous), eliminating unneeded surgeries.

10. Video

11. Picture 1
Difference in FDOPA levels between a control and Parkinson’s
Disease

12. Picture 2