What are scans?
Scans take pictures of the inside of your body to let your health-care team see if there is something wrong. Types of scans you might need to help your health-care team diagnose cancer include:
Each of these scans take pictures of the inside of your body using different methods. Different types of scans are able to get pictures of different body parts and some show different detail.
Scans don’t hurt but they can be loud and it can be hard or uncomfortable to lay still. Sometimes, you may need to have an IV (intravenous) as part of the scan. An IV is a thin, flexible, plastic tube that stays in your vein for up to a few days, usually in your arm or hand. The IV can be connected to a bigger tube through which you can be given special medications called dyes (to make certain body parts show up better on a scan) or fluids.
Scans are done by a radiologist, a doctor who is an expert in tests that produce pictures of the inside of the body. A technologist (a person who is trained to use the machines that take the scans) will help the radiologist to do the scans.
Why do I need a scan?
Scans are useful because they can help your doctors diagnose your cancer and decide on the right treatment. Scans can show:
- the location and size of a tumour
- the stage of your cancer (whether it has spread)
- where your cancer has spread
You will continue to have scans after diagnosis. Scans can help your health-care team to see how well your treatment is working.
Remember, your best source of information about scans is your health-care team.
