Can someone please tell me what this radiology report means?

Question

There is a large focus of abnormally increased radiotracer uptake in the region of the manubrium.This is from a bone scan. Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

u need to talk to a radiologist or ur physician... dont take anyones advice on here.. u need to just find out ur self... its not anyones place to say anthing im sorry... consult a doctor to explain.. it could mean nothing... becasue cell can multiply rapidly and decrease dose not nessasaraly mean cancer

Answer 2

This is one reason why I never give patients results of their CAT scans.  Why?  Because I'm not a "Radiologist."  I'm a Xray Technologist.  The person who for a lack of a better word "takes the pictures" instead of "interpreting" the results.  Big difference between the two professions.  

Do yourself a favor and schedule an appointment with your primary care physican so that he or she can get a Radiologist impression or interpretation.  Good luck to you.    

Answer 3

I would not recommend asking these questions on yahoo answers. It's an issue that needs to be taken up with a trained professional. If you got the test in the first place, i'm assuming there's a doctor treating you, so he/she is your best bet to get a clearer picture of things.  

Answer 4

No it doesn’t mean the mass is now showing in front of the chest wall. Bone scans are not very good at viewing tissue. Their job is to see metabolic reaction of bone to the disease process. When there is an area of increased uptake it means that area is metabolizing the tracer they put into you faster than it should and this is an indication of metastases, meaning cancer has spread to the bone from another area of the body.

There are a few things that bother me about this. First, it sounds like you took a phrase from the body of the report or you left out some words. This can change the meaning. The doctor’s conclusions will be listed under Impression or Findings. The exact words are very important. The other thing you should know is a false positive on a bone scan is most often due to trauma the patient does not always recall. Also, bone mets can be a single focus they are usually small multiple areas.  

The results of all your tests, your symptoms and history have to be considered together for a doctor to make a diagnosis and I am sure you must know your doctor is the very best person to discuss any questions you may have. I am not a physician, but I have to be able to interpret radiology reports in order to do my job and I hope this has helped you in some way. Best wishes.