Imaging tests that look for breast cancer spread

Imaging tests that look for breast cancer spread

Once breast cancer is diagnosed, one or more of the following tests may be done. These
tests aren’t often done for early breast cancer. Which tests (if any) are done depends on
how likely it is the cancer has spread, based on the size of the tumor, the presence of
lymph node spread, and any symptoms you are having.
Chest x-ray
This test may be done to see whether the breast cancer has spread to your lungs.
Mammogram
If they haven't been done already, more extensive mammograms may be done to get more
thorough views of the breasts. This is to check for any other abnormal areas that could be
cancer as well. This test is described in the section, "How is breast cancer diagnosed?"
Bone scan
A bone scan can help show if a cancer has spread (metastasized) to your bones. It can be
more useful than standard x-rays because it can show all of the bones of the body at the
same time and can find small areas of cancer spread not seen on plain x-rays.
For this test, a small amount of low-level radioactive material is injected into a vein
(intravenously, or IV). The substance settles in areas of bone changes throughout the
entire skeleton over the course of a couple of hours. You then lie on a table for about 30
minutes while a special camera detects the radioactivity and creates a picture of your
skeleton.
Areas of bone changes appear as "hot spots" on your skeleton—that is, they attract the
radioactivity. These areas may suggest the presence of metastatic cancer, but arthritis or
other bone diseases can also cause the same pattern. To distinguish between these
conditions, your cancer care team may use other imaging tests such as simple x-rays or
CT or MRI scans to get a better look at the areas that light up, or they may even take
biopsy samples of the bone.