About Meir Wetzler <B>M. D.</B> Expertise Leukemia acute and chronic; from chemotherapy to transplantation. Done clinical and translational research on leukemia for the last 10 years at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Question QUESTION: what is a pep scan and what does having one involve
ANSWER: Dear Ria,
Did you mean PET scan?
Thx, Meir.
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QUESTION: Yes I do mean a pet scan
Answer Dear Ria,
PET scan is using a nuclear tracer that incorporates into the glucose metabolism. Cancer cells have higher glucose metabolism than the cells from which they arise. The tracer is incorporated into the cells but by the nature of its structure, it cannot be processed by the normal enzymes and therefore gets "trapped" in the cells. The difference between the tumor and the background tissues is used for detection purposes by the scanner.
Thx, Meir.
