ScienceDaily (Jan. 12, 2010) — A combined positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scan of the whole body appears to detect cancer in individuals with related neurologic complications more accurately than some other commonly used tests, according to a report posted online that will appear in the March print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Paraneoplastic neurologic disorders occur in some people with cancer -- including lung, breast or ovarian cancer -- and may develop when cancer-fighting antibodies mistakenly attack cells in the nervous system. "In the assessment of patients with suspected paraneoplastic neurologic disorders, routine non-invasive oncologic evaluations may be unrevealing," the authors write as background information in the article. "These standard evaluations include physical examination; computed tomography (CT) of the chest, abdomen and pelvis; mammography in women; and testicular ultrasonography and prostate-specific antigen testing in men." Cancers underlying paraneoplastic neurologic disorders are typically small, restricted to one site and are often not detected until autopsy.
source: Science Daily Release
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