No real news from the PET scan yesterday. The procedure involves an injection with Fluorine 18 labelled glucose analogue, which is taken up preferentially by cancers. The F18 has a half life of 110 minutes and in decaying, it gives off a positron which is detected by the scanner (or more precisely, the scanner detects annihilation photons produced when the positrons encounter electrons after travelling a few mm), to produce an image. After the injection the patient has to wait an hour and a half for the glucose to be taken up by the tumour, and the imaging process itself takes about an hour.

This is a more accurate procedure for detection and identification of cancerous tissue than a CT scan, and enables the physician to determine whether the cancer has spread to any other organs. But as previously noted, the results won’t be available until Tuesday morning. JW has agreed to continue this blog after Monday evening and will report further.

King’s has an excellent policy of full disclosure of written opinions to patients, but they take a week or so, and those received up to now are out of date.

The Matthew yesterday evening wasn't the best I've ever heard, but the bass ws not bad, and the viola da gamba continuo was excellent.