Members unicorn Posted 2 hours ago Members Posted 2 hours ago 1 hour ago, PeterRS said: I fully accept your advice. But if the much cheaper CT scan can spot a cyst, why would a more expensive MRI be required also to find a cyst? I will ask my doctor when I see her next month. CT's (unlike regular X-rays) expose patients who receive them with very significant doses of radiation. In fact, the radiation from one abdominal CT increases a patient's risk of developing cancer due to the radiation by 1 in 1000. (A combined Chest/Abdomen CT increases the risk to 1/500!). To receive annual CT's would involve very substantially increasing the risk that the screening itself leads to cancer! I suspect that what your doctor will say is that she just wanted to make sure the cyst (or perhaps mass) isn't getting bigger. However, that is not what the professional guidelines advise. It's also rather dangerous. Pancreatic cancers are among the most fast-growing cancers affecting humans, which is why the only hope of cure is to remove it before it grows. Chest CT scanning is recommended for smokers or former smokers--but it only reduces mortality from non small-cell lung cancers. The mortality from small-cell lung cancers (SCC), another human cancer which spreads with amazing speed, is not reduced by lung cancer screening. Once SCC starts growing, it's game over. If she won't do (or refer you for) endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), I'd get it done elsewhere. Quote
