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CT scans good for catching brain tumors?
Asked over 1 year ago - San Francisco, CA
I did a CT scan several months ago because I was having head and neck pain. The CT scan turned out to be normal, but the head and neck pain have returned. I was wondering what the odds are that the CT scan missed a brain tumor.
Doctor answers (1)
Based on the symptoms you are describing, it is extremely unlikely that the previous CT scan missed a brain tumor. Occasionally a CT scan can miss a brain tumor if it is very small.
However, there are dozens of possible causes of head and neck pain, and it is unusual for a brain tumor to only cause head and neck pain without other signs or symptoms. Now, add to that the fact that you already had a CT of the head which showed no tumor. I would not worry about a brain tumor unless additional symptoms develop such as seizure, paralysis, loss of feeling in the extremities, vision loss, etc.
However, there are dozens of possible causes of head and neck pain, and it is unusual for a brain tumor to only cause head and neck pain without other signs or symptoms. Now, add to that the fact that you already had a CT of the head which showed no tumor. I would not worry about a brain tumor unless additional symptoms develop such as seizure, paralysis, loss of feeling in the extremities, vision loss, etc.
