Over time the tracer collects in the part of the body that’s being tested. Some are swallowed while others are put into a vein or inhaled as a gas.
In most cases you’re given a tracer (or radionuclide) that sends out small doses of radiation. Some nuclear scans are also used to measure heart function. For instance, bone scans that show hot spots on the skeleton are usually followed by x-rays of the affected bones, which are better at showing details of the bone structure. Because of this, they’re often used along with other imaging tests to give a more complete picture of what’s going on. These scans can show some internal organ and tissue problems better than other imaging tests, but they don’t provide very detailed images on their own. Nuclear scans may not find very small tumors, and cannot always tell whether a tumor is really cancer. Depending on the type of scan done, the tumor might instead be a “cold spot” – a site of decreased uptake (and less cell activity). If cancer is present, the tumor may show up on the picture as a “hot spot” – an area of increased cell activity and tracer uptake. Special cameras pick up the pattern of radioactivity to create pictures that show where the tracer travels and where it collects. These scans use liquid substances called radionuclides (also called tracers or radiopharmaceuticals) that release low levels of radiation.īody tissues affected by certain diseases, such as cancer, may absorb more or less of the tracer than normal tissues. Nuclear scans make pictures based on the body’s chemistry (like metabolism) rather than on physical shapes and forms (as is the case with other imaging tests). PET (positron emission tomography) scans.Some of the nuclear medicine scans most commonly used for cancer (described in more detail further on) are: The specific type of nuclear scan you’ll have depends on which organ the doctor wants to look into. These tests are painless and usually done as an outpatient procedure. They may also be used to decide if treatment is working. Nuclear medicine scans ( also known as nuclear imaging, radionuclide imaging, and nuclear scans) can help doctors find tumors and see how much the cancer has spread in the body (called the cancer’s stage).