Gallium
Scan:
The Gallium Scan is one of the most common
tests that is administered in the Hodgkin's staging process. The
scan involves being injected with the radioactive isotope Gallium
which, for some reason, is attracted to the cancerous cells. Thus,
when the technicians scan your body they are able to see any cancerous
areas light up like a Christmas tree.
Some of the more common questions about the
scan include:
- What is the Gallium Scan used for?
As stated above, it is a radioactive
isotope which goes where the tumors are located. They then scan
you and record where the gallium is in your body. Later after
treatment they do the same, and check for differences. It will
also help determine if a 'spot' is a tumor or scar tissue. Some
people are not 'gallium avid', which means that the cancer cells
will not soak in the chemical. Because of this it is important
to have a 'baseline' scan done at the beginning of treatment.
If nothing shows at the beginning you are not gallium avid and
thus this test is useless for you. This only happens to about
5% of all people scanned. For most people this is one of the best
tests out there.
- Is it painful?
For the majority of people it
will not hurt at all. In fact it is one of the least painful experiences
you'll have. They inject you in an arm vein, and then have you
return anywhere from 6 hours to 10 days later to be scanned. The
one time you might experience pain is during the 360 degree shots.
The scanning can make the cancerous areas hurt a little, but it
stops quickly.
- How is it done?
Well, you lie on a table and a
machine with two plates will pass under and over you scanning
you for the isotope reaction. You can generally see the monitors
as it does this (except for when they scan your neck) and some
of the pictures are quite pretty. The second part of the test
is when they have 3-D shots taken. This is done by sending plates
around your body one above and one below. They move until each
plate has been 360 degrees around you taking pictures.
- How long does the test take?
Well, 4 of my 5 days of scans
took 20-40 minutes. When they did the 360 degree shots it took
almost 3 hours. But, you can usually sleep during the test. As
far as the number of days of scanning, it varies widely person
to person. Some get scanned once, some, like me, 5 days. The tests
have been perfected in many hospitals and in those that use the
new techniques, no test should take more than 1 hour.
- Will it make me sick?
It shouldn't make you sick at
all.