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CAT stands for computerized axial tomography (that name alone ought to strike fear in any malignant cells!). The CAT scan combines the use of X-ray and computer technology. Its major use is to determine the nature of tissues and whether a tissue mass is benign or if it is dense enough to be a malignant tumor.

The CAT scan machine revolves around a patient's body and takes a series of X-rays. A computer interprets this information by converting the X-rays into photographic images and creating detailed views of the tissues of the body. The results are more revealing than standard X-rays. The procedure is painless and takes about an hour.

A CAT scan involves more radiation than does a chest X-ray, but the patient will not be exposed to a significant amount as long as he is not undergoing the procedure frequently. The CAT scan is not considered 100 percent accurate, but it can be helpful in evaluating the progress of a tumor. However, it is not required in 90 percent of patients with prostate cancer. A major limitation of the CAT scan is in its assessment of lymph nodes, small masses of tissue that remove bacteria and other toxins from the body. The nodes must be visibly abnormal in order to arouse suspicion. Thus, lymph nodes with microscopic metastasis (spread of malignant cells to another part of the body) often will not be detected. At other times, the nodes can look enlarged and very suspicious, yet the pathologist (a doctor who specializes in the examination of cells and tissues that are removed from die body) will find no evidence of cancer.

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