| This kind of growth is cause for alarm, to be sure, | | | | this discovery, however it is also more expensive so |
| but even more alarming is the fact that symptoms | | | | it is not used without a good cause. The CAT scan |
| do not usually occur to suggest lung cancer until it | | | | can also help doctors determine how far the cancer |
| has progressed beyond a surgically treatable option. | | | | has spread, and to where. |
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| diagnosing lung cancer there are many options. | | | | PET scans and MRI's are excellent ways to check for |
| However, until a doctor has reason to believe that a | | | | cancer, however, once again, they are not generally |
| patient has this disease, there is seldom a reason to | | | | used for the diagnosis of lung cancer, instead they |
| run any of these tests creating a situation where the | | | | are used to determine the spread of the disease and |
| disease has to progress substantially before a | | | | a PET scan can help doctors establish the amount of |
| diagnosis is made. | | | | cancerous tumors a person has in their body because |
| The most common way of diagnosing lung cancer is | | | | of a special sugar injected into the body. |
| via a chest x-ray. Generally the chest x-ray is order | | | | Once tumors are found on a persons lungs or |
| to determine the cause of pneumonia which often | | | | throughout the body, diagnosing lung cancer becomes |
| results in the discovery this disease, especially in the | | | | a matter of taking a biopsy. A biopsy is the removal |
| case of recurring pneumonia in the same section of | | | | of some of the suspected tissue from the persons |
| the lungs. While this is a good way to diagnose | | | | body. It is then observed under a microscope to |
| cancer, the x-ray is not infallible and can only see | | | | determine if it is a cancerous mass and if it is, what |
| masses in front of bones, not behind, so it is not | | | | kind of cancer it might be. |
| 100% accurate in its diagnosis. | | | | The sooner it is diagnosed the better the prognosis |
| Another common, but less common than x-ray, way | | | | for the patient. It is important for anyone who has |
| for diagnosing lung cancer is with a CT or more | | | | been exposed to cancer causing agents or who |
| commonly known CAT scan. This scan allows doctors | | | | smoke to have themselves checked out for cancer |
| to see the smaller masses that an x-ray simply | | | | whether they have symptoms or not. If they wait |
| cannot see. The CAT scan is a better technology for | | | | until symptoms occur, it might be too late. |