Patients Can Avoid Negative Chemotherapy Side Effects Through PET Scan

Chemotherapy is the primary method of cancer treatment. The procedure uses drugs designed to kill fast-growing cancer cells. Inadvertently, however, chemo drugs can also damage healthy cells throughout the body, causing certain side effects. Most common of these are fatigue, hair loss, infection, anemia, nausea, easy bruising, constipation, diarrhea, appetite or weight changes, fertility problems and more.

For patients diagnosed with lymphoma, there is hope for avoiding side effects yet. A new study from the New England Journal of Medicine has found that PET scan can spare patients the severe secondary effects.

MRI for Spines: Using MRI Scans To Detect Abnormalities of the Spine

The spine is perhaps one of the most vital parts of the body. Not only does it protects the thin and fibrous spinal cord, but it also supports the entire body. It’s only important, then, to diagnose possible problems with your spine before it gets worse. One way of detecting abnormalities with the spine is by undergoing a spinal MRI scan.

Assessing Spinal Structures

MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, makes use of radio waves, a magnetic field, and a computer in producing detailed pictures of the spine and its surrounding tissues. The images produced by MRI scans will then be assessed, and an anatomical cause of the patient’s back pain can be determined.