Frequently Asked Questions
16. How does a doctor usually detect lung cancer?
Seeing a spot on an image of the chest is usually how a doctor first suspects that lung cancer may be present. Doctors use imaging methods such as a CT (commonly known as a helical CT) scan or a PET scan to look for signs of cancer.
A computeirzed tomography scan, or CT scan, is a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body. Positron emission tomography, or PET scan, is a computerized image of the metabolic activity of body tissues.