Other Imaging Tests

To learn more about the extent of disease and suggest a course of treatment, the doctor may order some of the following imaging tests:

Health Tips from Dr. Healy: Video: Why cancer patients should stop smoking Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control See eight steps you can take to reduce your risk of cancer Ovarian Cancer-Related Clinical Trials Information Email this page Print this section

Chest X-ray: A chest X-ray can show whether cancer has spread to the lungs.

Computerized tomography (CT) scan: This diagnostic test uses an X-ray machine and a computer to create detailed pictures of the body, including 3-D images. It provides detailed information about the size, shape, and position of a tumor. It may also provide information on enlarged lymph nodes that may contain cancer that has spread from the ovary.

As part of a CT scan, you may be asked to drink oral contrast or have an IV line (a tube that enters a vein in the body) for injection of a contrast dye. Contrast dye makes your organs more visible on the X-ray film.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): This diagnostic test uses magnetic fields and radio (sound) waves to create computerized pictures of the pelvis and abdomen. The doctor views these pictures to see whether cancer has spread. You may be placed in a tube, which may feel confining to people who have a fear of enclosed spaces. A contrast dye might be used. The MRI is noisy while it is operating, so patients usually wear earplugs.

PET scan: This test detects the energy given off by a radioactive chemical in your bloodstream. First, you will have a very small dose of the chemical, called a radiotracer, injected into a vein in your arm. The tracer travels through the body and is absorbed by the organs and tissues being studied. Next, you will be asked to lie down on a flat examination table that is moved into the center of a PET scanner. This machine detects and records the energy given off by the tracer substance and, with the aid of a computer, this energy is converted into three-dimensional pictures. A physician can then look at cross-sectional images of the body organ from any angle in order to detect any functional problems.