Breast MRI v. PET?

[Cat321]

With mammogram, ultrsound, biopsy I have just been diagnosed with invasive ductal cancer, left breast, with onne anxillary node involvd as well.

Breast surgeon really wanted a bilateral breast MRI, but despite hard efforts I could not assume the posiiton due to physical limitations.

I am having a PET next week. Will that show what the breast MRI would have?  Will it show lymph node problems?
Thanks,
Cat321

[SueYoung55]

Yes, it should light up all lymph nodes involved. Very different tests here and I'm sorry you couldn't do the MRI. I get a PET scan every year and it's not scary. They put in an IV, inject the radioactive material and leave you to sit perfectly still for an hour. Then they lay you on a table and you go through the machine (not claustrophobic like MRI's). I had a CT done right before my PET.

Best wishes.

[japdip]

PET scans are done to discover any possible areas of metastises throughout the body. Breast MRI is a type of imagery more sensitive than Mammogram and is used to pick up abnormalities within the breast tissue .... this test is quite valuable when dense breast tissue is present. A radioactive material is injected before the PET scan .... only a contrast material is used with MRI. Regards ....