Good morning,
As most of you know I have been having a difficult time with getting my symptoms diagnosed. I have for six months had a sore throat that progressed to BOT pain and severe ear pain. I have had 2 CT scans, tonsillectomy and two small biopsies. Just recently I have had a large golf ball size lump or larger show up in my clavicle area.

I went back to my ENT which was highly concerned and has ordered a MRI. I not sure why he chose this option first. Will a MRI show lymph node involvement as well as cancer of the tongue? It seems to me most Doctors push for CT scan. I don't understand why he chose the MRI. I believe he is knowledgeable, and all I have seen in the large office is throat cancer patients.

Anyway, any help on what a MRI will actually show and if it will show bot cancer at all or lymph involvement. This is really getting so frustrating trying to get a diagnosis of something. Hopefully not cancer, but who knows at this point. I do know now that this was not in my head which gives me some sanity.

Thank you,
Well wishes for all of you!

A CT scan is the cheapest scan, but most often used, and needs no special training to view, unlike the PET/CT, or diet needed to be followed including the MRI, and unlike a PET/CT scan. Each type of scan show details better than the other Like a CT is good for bone, MRI for nerve, veins, PET/CT for full body, and nodal disease, but are used interchangeably. An MRI may show less scatter, and needed one after a PET/CT to show a more detailed area. For my original diagnosis I had a CT, FNAB, PET/CT, and a triple scope, all which showed cancer suspicion and proved cancer from the biopsies.

As far as being more accurate, specific, sensitive, in detecting cancer I've seen ranges for the PET/CT scan, 90% range, then an MRI, high 80% followed by the CT scan, in the 70% range, but again, this depends on the area scanned in the body, and what they are looking for, other involvement, type of cancer.

PaulB,
What kind of cancer did you have? You were in the hospital for 270 days? My goodness. Thanks for the information.

Left tonsil cancer, two left lymph nodes, although my scans showed suspicion in the base of tongue, Valleculla also, but biopsy found none in these two places, but still wonder.

Yes, I had every type of ailment just from 5 days of chemo, and was pure hell. I had Septic shock, Sepsis, paralysis from the waist down, organ failure, infections, blind in left eye, my skin was burned on my hands, face, inside mouth, esophagus, and burn unit had to debrid some, all fingernails, toenails came off too, lost 110 pounds in a few weeks, and more. I had bed sores or pressure ulcers as a result that lasted for three years, and they hurt, can even be deadly. I didn't even know my status with cancer, which treatment was incomplete, and could do no further testing, and so for 8 months I just laid in bed wondering. I could not even get out of bed without a Hoyer lift into a wheel chair. Anyway, I'm still here.

Paul,
All I can say is you're a very tough man, but I am very sorry to hear about your difficulties to put it lightly. I hope you're a healthier today and just you're in my thoughts.

Thank you, Portland. As someone once told me, it's not really how strong you are not to have any adverse side effects to begin with, but how strong you are to pull out of them if they do occur, that matters. I'm doing good.