Imaging tests help doctors find out what has gone wrong inside the body. In the context of cancer treatment, imaging tests play a crucial role. If doctors at the best cancer treatment hospital in Kolkata suspect anything wrong (for example, a mass, breathing problems, bone fractures), they usually suggest imaging tests to be sure if the symptom is anything to do with malignancy. These tests use some types of energy – magnetic field or X-ray – to generate images. .
MRI vs. CT Scans
MRI and CT scans are two common imaging tests used for cancer diagnosis, staging and to assess the response to cancer treatment. So, what are the differences between these two? Let’s talk about it.
Ø Unlike CT scans, MRI scans don’t use radiation.
Ø MRI is more expensive than CT scan.
Ø With the most advanced technology, full-body scanning takes only 30 minutes or even less. On the other hand, an MRI usually takes 30 minutes or even longer.
Ø MRIs generate jarring sound. Patients are required to wear headphones or earplugs during scans. CT scans, on the other hand, are not noisy.
Ø MRIs require patients to stay in a tube for an extended period of time, whereas a narrow ring is used in CT scans.
A CT scan uses a narrow beam of X-rays to aim at a patient. The beam is rotated around the body. The reconstructed X-rays generate thin, cross-sectional slices or images which are stacked to create a 3D image. CT scan can accurately show a tumour’s shape, size and location. Oncologists often suggest CT scans to determine cancer staging.
CT scan, though a kind of fancy X-rays, is more advanced than regular X-rays. CT scans, due to the advanced sensitiveness of the imaging technique, can easily detect abnormalities more clearly. In the human body, bones, muscles and organs have different densities, and CT scans are designed to take advantage of these differences.
In some types of cancer, MRI is preferred to CT scans. For example, MRI generates much clearer image if cancer involves the liver and brain because it can distinguish between normal and abnormal tissues, making it easier for doctors to see lesions. However, specialists at the best cancer hospital in Kolkata say CT scan is preferred for routine imaging of the chest, pelvis or abdomen of someone with cancer because it is faster and can accurately predict recurrence, a new lesion or if the mass is smaller or bigger.
CT scan is used as a convenient monitoring tool if cancer treatment is working and if the disease has progressed, metastasized or on remission.
It is up to the discretion of the oncologists which imaging test they will use. The decision depends on the cancer type and what the situation demands. They choose the best imaging test to find out the answers to specific questions. “It is not always about which of these two imaging tests is better, but what will work best in a patient’s case”, says doctor Dr, Arnab Gupta, the director at SGCCRI, who is also an eminent onco-surgeon.