Reading Your Report
How to Read — Your PET-CT Report
You received a PDF full of medical terminology and your appointment is in a few days. This guide explains what each section of a PET-CT report contains, what the common terms mean, and the questions worth writing down before you see your oncologist.
Medically reviewed by Dr. T. Raghavender Reddy, Medical Oncologist, MBBS · DM (Medical Oncology) · MD (Radiation Oncology) · Last reviewed September 2026
- Start with the Impression — The Impression section, at the end of the report, is the radiologist's summary. It is the first place to look.
- Numbers describe activity, not diagnosis — Values like SUVmax measure how much tracer a spot absorbed. They do not confirm or rule out cancer on their own.
- Changes matter as much as values — Whether a finding is new, larger, or smaller compared to a prior scan is often more important than any individual number.
- Only your oncologist can interpret this — They have your full clinical picture — symptoms, blood tests, and treatment history. The report alone does not tell the complete story.
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A PET-CT report has five main sections. The Impression, at the end, is the radiologist's summary and the place to start. The Findings section describes every organ in detail using technical language written for your doctor. Only your oncologist, who knows your full clinical picture, can tell you what the results mean for your treatment.
What are the sections of a PET-CT report?
- Clinical Indication
- Why the scan was requested — usually one or two sentences from your oncologist describing what they are looking for. Reading it confirms the scan was done for the right reason.
- Technique
- How the scan was performed: the tracer used, whether CT contrast was given, and how long after the injection you were scanned. This section rarely changes your understanding of the result.
- Findings
- The detailed, organ-by-organ description of everything the scan shows. This is the longest section and uses the most technical language. It covers every area the radiologist examined, not only areas of concern.
- Comparison
- How the current scan looks against your previous scans or reports, when these are available. When a comparison is included, it is clinically important — it tells the radiologist whether activity has increased, decreased, or stayed the same.
- Impression
- The radiologist's conclusion — the summary at the end of the report. This is where they state whether activity has decreased, stayed the same, or whether new areas were seen. It is the section your oncologist will discuss with you first.
Which section should you read first, and what should you ask?
Read the Impression section first. It is at the end and it is the radiologist's summary of what matters. It will tell you, in broad terms, whether there has been a metabolic response, whether activity has increased, and whether new areas of concern were seen.
Do not try to interpret the Findings section on your own. The same language can mean different things depending on your cancer type, your treatment, and where you are in your treatment plan. That context is what your oncologist adds.
Before your appointment, write down what the Impression says in your own words, any term in the Findings you did not understand, and the main question you need answered. Oncology appointments move quickly, and a written list means you will ask what you actually came to ask.
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What do the words in a PET-CT report mean?
SUVmax — the number you will see most often
SUVmax stands for Standardised Uptake Value, maximum. It measures how intensely a particular spot is taking up the radioactive tracer. A higher number means higher metabolic activity at that spot. It does not on its own confirm cancer — many normal body processes also produce elevated readings, and the radiologist accounts for this. Your oncologist will interpret SUVmax in the context of your full clinical picture, not as a standalone value.
FDG-avid and hypermetabolic — what these words mean
FDG stands for fluorodeoxyglucose, the radioactive tracer used in most PET-CT scans. Avid means a spot is absorbing the tracer actively. Hypermetabolic means the same thing in slightly different language. Both describe increased metabolic activity at a site — not a diagnosis. Normal organs such as the brain, heart, and kidneys are also FDG-avid, which is why the radiologist describes the context around each finding carefully.
Physiologic uptake — when the scan is showing normal activity
Many parts of the body absorb the tracer as part of normal function. The brain uses glucose constantly. The kidneys filter the tracer out. The gut can show variable uptake. The radiologist uses the word physiologic — or physiological — to describe uptake that is expected and normal. When a finding is labelled physiologic, it is being distinguished from uptake that looks abnormal and needs clinical attention.
Complete metabolic response and partial metabolic response
A metabolic response means that areas of abnormal activity on a previous scan are now showing reduced activity. A complete metabolic response means no abnormal FDG uptake is seen at sites that were previously active. A partial response means activity has decreased but not disappeared. These terms describe what the tracer shows — they are not the same as a cure, and your oncologist will explain what the finding means for your specific treatment plan.
Progressive disease — when activity has increased
Progressive disease on a PET-CT means that previously active areas are more active, that areas which were previously inactive are now active, or that new sites of abnormal uptake have appeared. Your oncologist will discuss this with you in context. It does not always mean that treatment has failed — it may mean the current regimen needs review, or that the scan has captured normal post-treatment inflammatory activity. Context matters here more than the words alone.
Deauville score — used mainly for lymphoma
The Deauville score is a five-point scale used to report PET-CT findings in lymphoma. It compares the metabolic activity at the site of disease against two reference points in the body. Lower scores generally indicate little or no residual activity. Higher scores indicate more significant residual activity. The same score can have different clinical implications at different points in treatment, and your oncologist will explain what it means for your specific lymphoma type and stage.
Did you know?
A PET-CT can detect metabolic changes in tissue before those changes are visible on CT or MRI. A tumour that is responding to treatment will often show reduced tracer uptake weeks before it shrinks in size.
This is why PET-CT changed how several cancers are staged and assessed during treatment — and why the same structural finding on CT can have a very different significance when the metabolic picture is added.
Source: ASCO Educational Resources on Oncologic Imaging; ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines
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Explore 94 more Understanding Your PET-CT Report topics
Reading Your Report: Core Terms
- 'Cannot Be Excluded' and Other Cautious Phrases
- 'Deauville Score' on a Lymphoma PET Report
- 'FDG Avid': What It Means on Your Report
- 'Hypermetabolic': What the Word Actually Means
- 'Hypometabolic' and 'Photopenic' Findings
- 'Impression' vs 'Findings': Which Section Should You Read?
- 'Interval Change' and 'Stable Since Previous Study'
- 'Krenning Score' on a DOTANOC or DOTATATE Report
- 'Lymphadenopathy' on Your PET Report
- 'Metabolically Active Disease': What It Tells You
- 'Metastasis' and 'Distant Spread' on Your Report
- 'Mildly FDG Avid' vs 'Intensely FDG Avid'
- 'No Abnormal FDG Uptake': Is That a Clear Scan?
- 'Physiological Uptake': Normal Areas That Always Light Up
- 'Residual Disease' vs 'Complete Metabolic Response'
- 'Sub-Centimetre Node' and Why Size Matters on PET
- 'Suspicious for Malignancy': How Certain Is That?
- How Long Does a PET-CT Report Take?
- How to Read Your PET-CT Report: A Section-by-Section Guide
- Should You Read Your Own PET-CT Report Before the Consult?
- TNM Staging on a PET-CT Report
- Why Your Report Mentions the Liver and Blood Pool
False Positives, False Negatives & Pitfalls
- Bladder, Kidney and Ureter Activity on PET
- Bone Marrow Uptake After Growth Factor Injections
- Bowel Uptake: Normal, Inflammation or Something Else?
- Brown Fat Uptake: A Common Cause of Confusing Findings
- Does a Suspicious PET Finding Always Need a Biopsy?
- Getting a Second Read of Your PET-CT Images
- How Often Is a PET-CT Scan Wrong?
- Muscle Uptake After Exercise or Injections
- Thymic and Rebound Uptake in Younger Patients
- Uptake After Radiotherapy: Inflammation or Disease?
- Uptake at a Biopsy or Surgery Site
- What Causes a False Negative on a PET Scan?
- What Causes a False Positive on a PET Scan?
- What Happens If Two Scans Disagree?
- Which Cancers Do Not Show Well on PET-CT?
- Why the Brain Always Lights Up on PET
Incidental Findings
- A Second Unrelated Cancer Found on PET-CT
- An Incidental Bone Finding on PET-CT
- An Incidental Breast Finding on PET-CT
- An Incidental Kidney or Adrenal Finding
- An Incidental Liver Lesion on PET-CT
- An Incidental Lung Nodule Found on PET-CT
- An Incidental Prostate Finding on PET-CT
- An Incidental Thyroid Nodule on Your PET Scan
- Do All Incidental Findings Need Investigation?
- Focal Bowel Uptake: Could It Be a Polyp?
- Incidental Findings on a PET-CT Scan: What They Are
- Incidental Heart Findings on a Cancer PET Scan
- The Cost of Chasing an Incidental Finding
- What to Ask Your Doctor About an Incidental Finding
Infection, TB & Inflammation on PET
- Can Tuberculosis Look Like Cancer on a PET Scan?
- Dental Infection and Jaw Uptake on PET
- Fungal Infection and Abscess on PET-CT
- How Long Should You Wait After an Infection Before a PET Scan?
- If It Might Be Infection, What Test Comes Next?
- Inflammation After Injections, Vaccines and Cannulas
- Old Healed TB and Calcified Nodes on PET-CT
- PET-CT for Fever of Unknown Origin
- PET-CT for Suspected Infection in Implants and Prostheses
- PET-CT for Vasculitis and Inflammatory Conditions
- Pneumonia and Recent Chest Infection on PET
- Sarcoidosis on PET-CT: The Great Mimic
- TB or Cancer? How Doctors Tell Them Apart
- Thyroid Uptake on PET: Diffuse vs Focal
Response Assessment Scores & Criteria
- Complete Metabolic Response: What It Means
- Deauville Score 1 to 5: The Lymphoma Scale Explained
- End-of-Treatment PET Scan: What It Decides
- How Doctors Judge Whether Treatment Is Working on PET-CT
- Interim PET Scan During Chemotherapy: Why It Is Done
- Metabolic Response vs Size Response: Why They Differ
- PERCIST Criteria: How Metabolic Response Is Measured
- Partial Metabolic Response: Is That Good Enough?
- Progressive Metabolic Disease: What Happens Next
- RECIST vs PERCIST: Size vs Activity
- Stable Metabolic Disease: Good News or Bad?
- Tumour Flare and Pseudoprogression on PET
- What Is a Deauville 3 and Why Is It Ambiguous?
- Why the Scan Says One Thing and You Feel Another
SUV Values Explained
- Comparing SUV Between Two Scans: Is It Meaningful?
- Does a Higher SUV Mean a More Aggressive Cancer?
- Factors That Change Your SUV Reading
- High SUV but Not Cancer: When the Number Misleads
- Is My SUVmax of 4 High? Reading Your Specific Number
- Low SUV but Still Cancer: The PET-Negative Cancers
- SUV in Non-Cancer Conditions
- SUVmax, SUVmean and SUVpeak: What Is the Difference?
- What Is SUV on a PET Scan?
- What Is a Normal SUV Value?
- What SUV Value Indicates Cancer?
- Why Blood Sugar Changes Your SUV Result
- Why Did My SUV Go Down but Not to Zero?
- Why Did My SUV Go Up After Treatment?
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Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Why can I not just read the report myself without seeing my oncologist?
The report is written for a doctor who has your full medical history. The same finding — for example, an area of increased activity — can be reassuring or significant depending on your cancer type, the treatment you are on, and where you are in your plan. A radiologist describes what they see on the scan. Your oncologist interprets that finding against everything else they know about your case. Reading the report before your appointment is fine; interpretation needs to wait for the consultation.
What does it mean if the report says 'no FDG-avid lesion identified'?
It means the scan did not show any areas of abnormally increased tracer uptake — no sites that were metabolically active in a way the radiologist judged to be abnormal. This is generally a finding your oncologist will welcome, but what it means for your treatment depends on your specific situation. It does not always mean no cancer is present anywhere — PET-CT has limitations, and your oncologist will interpret this alongside your other clinical information.
What is the difference between a PET-CT and a regular CT scan?
A CT scan shows the size and shape of structures — it is an anatomical picture. A PET scan shows metabolic activity, using a radioactive tracer to identify areas that are using more glucose than normal. A PET-CT combines both in one session so the radiologist can see structure and activity at the same site simultaneously. A lymph node that looks normal in size on CT alone can still show abnormal metabolic activity on PET, which is why the combination is used for staging and response assessment in many cancers.
My SUVmax has gone up since the last scan. Does that mean things are worse?
An increase in SUVmax is something your oncologist will review carefully, but it does not automatically mean the cancer has worsened. SUV readings are influenced by how long before the scan you received the tracer, your blood glucose level at the time, and whether there is any inflammation or infection in the area. Your oncologist will look at the overall pattern of findings — whether new sites have appeared, whether existing sites are larger or smaller — before drawing any conclusion. Do not interpret a change in SUVmax alone.
Can a PET-CT miss cancer?
Yes. PET-CT has real limitations. Small deposits below a certain size may not appear, particularly if they have low metabolic activity. Some cancer types are not reliably FDG-avid and do not take up the tracer well enough to show on the scan. Brain activity also makes it difficult to assess brain metastases on PET alone. A negative PET-CT result does not guarantee that no cancer is present. Your oncologist will tell you how reliable the scan is for your specific cancer type and what other tests are needed alongside it.
What should I write down before my appointment?
Three things are worth preparing. First, what the Impression section says, in your own words as best you understand it. Second, any term in the Findings section that you could not understand and want explained. Third, the main question you need answered — whether that is about whether treatment continues, the significance of a specific finding, or what the next scan will look for. Oncology appointments move quickly. A written list means you will ask what you actually came to ask.