Adenocarcinoma of the lung other imaging findings

Other diagnostic studies for adenocarcinoma of the lung include bone scintigraphy, PET scan, and pulmonary ventilation/perfusion scan.

Bone Scintigraphy

• Bone scan uses bone-seeking radioactive materials (radiopharmaceuticals) and a computer to create a picture of the bones. It is used to look for bone metastases in people who have:^[1]

• Bone pain
• Blood chemistry tests that suggest that cancer has spread to the bone, including higher than normal levels of

• Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)
• Calcium

PET scan

• PET scan uses radiopharmaceuticals to detect changes in the metabolic activity of body tissues. A computer analyzes the radioactive patterns and makes 3-dimensional colour images of the area being scanned.^[1]

• PET scans may be used to find out if lung cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or other structures in the chest.

Pulmonary ventilation/perfusion scan

• A pulmonary ventilation/perfusion scan (lung scan or VQ scan) is a nuclear scan that uses 2 tests to look at the blood supply of the lungs and how well air moves through the lungs. It is used if doctors are considering surgery as a treatment option. This test helps make sure that the remaining lung is healthy and that the patient will be able to tolerate surgery.^[1]

• A chest x-ray is done before the VQ scan so the doctors can compare the results of both tests.

• In the perfusion scan, a radioisotope is injected into a vein. A scanning machine is used to look at the lungs as the blood with the radioactive particles flows through the arteries of the lungs. The pictures from the machine show any problems with the blood supply of the lungs.

• During the ventilation scan, the person breathes a radioactive gas through a mask while the scanner is used to watch the air flow in the lungs.

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