Cancer screening tools like MRI, CT, and PET scans each serve different purposes, and understanding when and why they’re used matters just as much as the scan itself. These technologies don’t “find cancer” in the same way—each looks at a different aspect of structure or function, and each comes with its own trade-offs. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create highly detailed images of soft tissue. It does not use ionizing radiation, which makes it especiall

A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is a unique type of imaging test that helps doctors see how the organs and tissues inside your body are actually functioning. The test involves injecting a very small dose of a radioactive chemical, called a radiotracer, into the vein of your arm. The tracer travels through the body and is absorbed by the organs and tissues being studied. Next, you will be asked to lie down on a flat examination table that is moved into the center of a PET scanner—a doug