Reading Your Report
‘Impression’ vs ‘Findings’: — Which Section Should You Read?
Your PET report arrived as a dense PDF — numbers and medical terms with no one to explain them. Before your appointment, you want to know what you are actually looking at, and which part of the document is the conclusion.
Medically reviewed by Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy, Medical Oncologist, MBBS (Gold Medal) · DNB · DM (Medical Oncology, Gold Medal) · Last reviewed September 2026
- Two different jobs — Findings and Impression serve different purposes. One records the raw observations; the other is the radiologist's interpretation of what they mean.
- Read Impression first — The Impression appears at the end of the report but should be the first section you read — it gives you the context for everything else.
- They can seem to contradict — The Impression may not highlight something the Findings describes in detail. This is usually intentional, not an oversight.
- Neither section replaces your appointment — The Impression is the radiologist's view of the images. Your oncologist puts it together with your symptoms, history and blood results.
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Your PET report has two sections. Findings lists the radiologist's observations — organ by organ, area by area. Impression is their conclusion: what those observations mean overall. The Impression is at the end of the document and should be read first. It gives you the context before the detail.
Which section gives the radiologist's conclusion?
The Impression is the conclusion. It is the radiologist's interpretation of everything they measured and observed, written as a summary — usually one to three sentences at the end of the report.
The Findings section comes first in the document. It records what the radiologist saw in each area of your body: the liver, lymph nodes, lungs, bones and other structures, with measurements where relevant.
Reading the Impression first — even though it appears last on the page — gives you the overall message before the detail. Most people read Findings first because it is at the top, and arrive at the Impression already anxious about numbers they have not yet had explained.
How should I read my report before the appointment?
- Find the Impression section — it is usually at the bottom of the last page, after the Findings
- Read the Impression in full before looking at the measurements in the Findings
- Check whether the report says 'compared to prior' — this means it is a response assessment, not a baseline
- Write down any term you do not recognise and look it up before the appointment
- Bring specific questions to your oncologist — the Impression starts the conversation, it does not end it
- Do not search individual SUV values or lesion sizes without reading the Impression first
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What do the terms in these sections mean?
- Impression
- The radiologist's overall conclusion. It summarises what the scan means — not just what was seen. Usually one to three sentences at the end of the report.
- Findings
- The detailed, region-by-region description of what the radiologist observed. It is the evidence behind the Impression, not the conclusion itself.
- Interval change
- How things have changed since your last scan. Used in the Impression to describe progression, response to treatment, or stability.
- Compared to prior
- Signals that the radiologist reviewed your previous scan alongside this one. A report without this phrase is usually a baseline — a starting point, not a comparison.
- Correlation with clinical findings recommended
- The radiologist is flagging that imaging alone cannot fully answer the question. Your oncologist needs to combine it with your symptoms, blood tests and treatment history.
- Cannot exclude
- The scan cannot rule out a possibility — but it does not confirm it either. Your oncologist decides whether further investigation is needed.
Why do the two sections sometimes seem to say different things?
The Findings mention a lesion but the Impression says 'no significant change'. How can both be true?
The Findings describe what the radiologist saw — including things that were already known and already measured at your last scan. The Impression tells you what changed. A lesion can appear in the Findings because it exists, and still appear in the Impression as unchanged because it has not grown, shrunk or become more or less active compared to before. One section describes the current state; the other describes the trajectory. Both can be true at the same time.
The Impression is two sentences but the Findings are eight pages. Which matters more?
Both sections matter, but they serve different purposes. The Impression is what the radiologist wants your oncologist to act on. The Findings are the evidence trail — every observation that led the radiologist to their summary. A brief Impression after many pages of Findings is entirely normal. Brevity in the Impression does not signal a simple case; it reflects the radiologist's job, which is to synthesise, not repeat.
Why does my Impression say 'please correlate clinically'?
This phrase means the radiologist has flagged something that imaging alone cannot fully interpret. It might be an area that looks slightly unusual but could reflect normal variation, treatment response, or healing. The phrase is a professional signal to your oncologist — not an alarm for you. It is not a finding in itself. Your oncologist will assess it alongside your blood results, your symptoms and your treatment history before deciding whether anything needs to be done.
Can the Impression be incorrect?
The Impression is the radiologist's interpretation on the day it was written, based on the images available. Like any clinical opinion, it carries some degree of uncertainty. It can occasionally be revised — if additional clinical information comes in, if a second radiologist reviews the images, or if a subsequent scan clarifies something that was ambiguous. Your oncologist may agree with the Impression entirely, or may read it alongside other information and reach a somewhat different conclusion. The Impression is important evidence, not the final word.
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Explore 94 more Understanding Your PET-CT Report topics
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- '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?
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- Fungal Infection and Abscess on PET-CT
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- 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
Should I read my PET report before my oncologist appointment?
Yes — reading it before the appointment means you arrive with specific questions rather than general anxiety. Read the Impression first, then the Findings if you want to understand the detail behind it. Write down any phrase you do not understand. What you should avoid is drawing conclusions before your oncologist has explained what the results mean for your treatment.
What does 'no evidence of active disease' in the Impression mean?
It means the radiologist did not identify areas of abnormal tracer uptake on this scan. It is a significant phrase, but what it means for your treatment is something your oncologist will explain — it needs to be read in the context of your cancer type, the treatment you have received, and whether this is a baseline, interim or end-of-treatment scan. Your oncologist will tell you what the next steps are.
My Impression mentions something my oncologist never told me about. What should I do?
Write it down and bring it to your appointment. It is possible the finding was already known and considered minor, or it may be something your oncologist intends to discuss in context. Radiology reports often include incidental observations — things unrelated to your cancer that do not require action. Your oncologist is the right person to tell you which category the finding falls into. Do not search for the phrase online before that conversation.
Why is the Impression sometimes at the top of the report and sometimes at the bottom?
Different hospitals and radiology departments use different formats. Some place the Impression at the end, after the Findings. Others place it at the top as a summary. Occasionally a report uses different headings — 'Opinion', 'Conclusion', or 'Summary' — for the same section. If you cannot find the Impression, look for the shortest, most plainly written paragraph, usually in simpler language relative to the detailed measurements around it.
Can I share the Impression with family members who are not at the appointment?
You can, and many people do. What is worth telling your family is that the Impression, read without medical context, can feel more alarming or more reassuring than the situation actually is. Phrases like 'cannot exclude' or 'interval progression' are much clearer once your oncologist explains what they mean for your specific case. Sharing the report is fine; what helps is making sure the oncologist's explanation anchors how your family understands it.
What is the difference between a baseline PET report and a response assessment?
A baseline report describes what is present before treatment starts. The Impression will not use phrases like 'compared to prior' or 'interval change'. A response assessment is done after a period of treatment, and the Impression directly compares the current scan to your baseline. Knowing which type of report you have helps you understand why the Impression is written the way it is — and what question it was designed to answer.