CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM METASTASES – CHECKING THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

As a rule, tests to check the central nervous system are only recommended if there is good reason to suspect a problem there. One exception is in certain types of leukaemia and lymphoma, which have a high chance of spreading to the meninges. With these, it is advisable to check for meningeal involvement right from the start. If the tests are clear, preventative treatment may be recommended as part of a treatment plan aimed at curing the cancer altogether.

Normal X-rays do not show up the brain or spinal cord at all, because they are completely enclosed in bone. A radio-isotope scan is one way of ‘seeing’ the brain. Unlike for liver and bone, the substance that is injected is not concentrated in the brain cells. What it actually shows up are the areas that have more than the usual amount of blood flowing through them. Cancer deposits show up because they nearly always have a greater blood flow than the normal parts of the brain. The CT scan is another way of showing cancer deposits in the central nervous system. The deposits usually let through less X-rays than the normal brain and spinal cord.

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