Corel Medical Series: Cancer/Corel Medical Series: Cancer.iso/mac/Program/c27.dxr/00030_Field_SRC.c27.C.5.txt

Text File | 1997-01-28 | 1KB | 14 lines

Imaging
• Abdominal ultrasound is one way to evaluate the abdomen if a mass is suspected. It can reveal the presence of
  fluid in the abdomen and is particularly useful for distinguishing a solid mass from a non-cancerous
  accumulation of fluid within the pelvis or liver (benign cyst).
• A bone scan will identify most tumor spread to the bones. It involves the injection of a special radionuclide
  into a vein, followed by whole-body imaging by a special camera. The image produced is a miniaturized
  skeleton that may show abnormal areas. But abnormal findings on a bone scan almost always have to be
  evaluated further with plain x-rays of the suspicious area.
• A CT scan is useful for determining the extent of a tumor within the head, chest or abdomen and for evaluating
  the possible spread of tumorous tissue into lymph nodes or other structures in the abdomen.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may help determine if the cancer can be surgically removed, but it is
  usually not necessary.
• If metastases have been found on biopsy , a chest x-ray should be done because the lungs are a very common
  site of metastases