CT scan is something that is helping the doctors with showing them different kind of tumors, and its shape and sizes. It is an outpatient procedure, and it takes almost 10 to 30 minutes. CT scan mainly shows a slice or a cross-section of the human body. The images from this computed tomography scan show your bones, different organs and other tissues. And it is more precise than standard X-Rays.

How does it work?

Computed tomography is very accurate in showing the blood vessels that are feeding the tumor too. And that does not require cutting the patient even a bit. The computed tomography-guided biopsy is another viral thing in the doctor’s community nowadays. They often use this to remove a small piece of tissue, and with this, they also do some cancer type of treatments. Using a CT scan, doctors can observe how the tumor is responding to the treatment or if cancer came back after the treatment or not. So yes, medical CT scan helps to detect and cure cancer.

How is CT scan used in cancer?

Computed tomography is used to cure cancer in many different ways. Here are a few of them:

• CT scan helps to detect the abnormal growth of the cancer cell.
• It helps to diagnose the presence of a tumor.
• CT scans also help to provide information related to the stages of cancer.
• It helps the doctors with the CT-guided biopsy. It determines exactly where to perform the procedure.
• It helps to guide local treatments such as cryotherapy, radiofrequency ablation and also with the implementation of the radioactive seeds.
• CT scan is also used to help with the planning of external-beam radiation therapy or some other surgery.
• Computed tomography also determines whether a tumor or a cancer cell is responding to treatment or not.
• CT scan also helps to determine if there is any recurrence of a tumor after the treatment.

How does CT use in cancer screening?

Studies with different cancer patients have shown that Computed tomography scans can help the doctor’s community with both collateral cancer screening and lung cancer screening.

Collateral cancer screening:

CT colonography can be used in both the large colorectal polyps as well as the colorectal tumors. CT colonography uses the same dose as standard CT for abdomen and pelvis. And in standard colonography air or Carbon dioxide gas is pumped through the clean colon for a better view. CT colonography is less invasive compared to the standard colonoscopy. However, standard colonography is the only colonography that removes the unusual growth found in CT colonography.

Lung cancer:

An NCI sponsored study has shown that people from 55 to 74 years with a history of heavy smoking has experienced reduced death threats from lung cancer if screened with low-dose helical lung CT scan rather than Chest X-Rays. However, there are risks too. People screened with low-dose X-Ray tend to show false-positive results. Which means the results show there is something abnormal even when no cancer is present. And that can lead to wrong treatment and may prove harmful for the patient.