What tests are done to diagnose brain cancer

Brain tumors have long been a serious threat to the life and health of patients. Many people are inevitably panicked when they hear about brain tumors. Generally, such diseases are often discovered in the late stages and are difficult to treat. So what tests are done to confirm brain cancer? Let's introduce them to you below.

First: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): It can show most intracranial tumors and peritumoral edema, and can accurately show the location, size and shape of the tumor. It is an important additional examination method for CT, especially for tumors of the skull base and brain stem close to the bones, such as benign astrocytoma on the tentorium, which can show autologous abnormalities, making up for the missed diagnosis of CT without abnormal findings. Therefore, MRI is more suitable for early diagnosis.
Second: X-ray examination is very common and is required for many diseases. It can clearly show the mass of the tumor and is more suitable for local skull damage and increased lacrimal veins. Head CT is one of the essential examination items. It can clearly distinguish the shape of the tumor, the density of the tumor, the condition of the tumor calcification, and various symptoms such as tumor edema, which facilitates our identification.
Third: PET/CT: also known as positron emission/computed tomography, it uses radioactive isotopes to determine the metabolic status of lesions. The tracers currently used internationally are mainly FDG (18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose), MET (11C-Methionine) and FLT (18F-Fluoro-thymidine), while the first one or two are mainly used in China. PET/CT is of certain significance in determining the benign or malignant nature of tumors, determining the residual status of tumors, and distinguishing tumor recurrence and radionecrosis. The biggest advantage is that it can perform whole-body scans at the same time, which is of high value in the diagnosis of brain metastases. The disadvantage is that it requires the use of radioactive isotopes and is relatively expensive.