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More Scans:

     The point was approaching when the success of the treatment could be realistically assessed, so two separate scans were scheduled to provide the necessary information. The first was another MRI scan, performed on November 13th. at the Paul Strickland scanner centre located in Mount Vernon hospital. This was as noisy an event as the previous one.

     The second was a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan,  performed on November 28th at the same place. Although the apparatus looks much the same as any other type of scanner ( a large circular metal donut) and the patient is placed in the same position ( in the hole in the middle), it works on a different principle.

      MRI and CT scanners generate the source radiation and detect the results of its interaction with your body, whereas a PET scanner only detects the interaction of a radiation source present within the patient's body. This source is provided by a radioactive tracer in a glucose solution, which is injected into the bloodstream prior to the scan. Any abnormal cell activity, which is characteristic of cancer cells, shows up as a hot spot on the image. A PET scan indicates the possible presence of cancer before it is detectable by the other scan technologies and thus provides a powerful diagnostic tool.The presence of a radioactive substance in my bloodstream was, thankfully, painless but meant that I had to avoid close contact with other people until the radioactivity decayed to a safe level, which was about three hours.

The cancer team now had the information they needed to assess the results of my radiotherapy. All I could do was remain positive and wait for the next team clinic appointment, on December 11th., when I would find out their assessment