Positron Emission Tomography (PET Scan)
In a PET scan, radioactive glucose, or sugar, is injected into the patient’s vein. Because cancers use sugar much faster than normal tissues, the cancerous tissue accumulates more of the radioactive material than normal cells. A scanner can identify the radioactive deposits. This test can be useful for detecting cancer that has spread beyond the testicles. Often the PET scan is combined with a CT scan. This combination can help your provider determine whether or not abnormalities found on the CT scan are cancer.