Reading your PET report
Why Your Report Mentions — the Liver and Blood Pool
The liver and blood pool appear in your PET report as measuring references, not findings. Radiologists compare the uptake in any suspicious area against these two fixed points to produce a score. Nothing about their appearance in the report means something is wrong with those organs.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla, Medical Oncologist, MBBS · MD · DM (Adyar, Chennai) · ECMO · MRCP SCE (UK) · Last reviewed September 2026
- Not a finding about your liver — Your liver is listed as a measuring reference, not as an area of concern in your scan.
- Two fixed yardsticks — Every Deauville score compares uptake against the mediastinal blood pool and the liver.
- Required by international guidance — EANM and LYRIC require these same two reference points at every PET centre worldwide.
- Your doctor reads the number — The references produce a score. What that score means for your care is a clinical judgement.
17+
Cancer Specialists
on Panel
on Panel
96.9%
Breast Cancer
Survival Rate*
Survival Rate*
15,000+
Patients
Treated
Treated
4.8★
Google Rating
(800+ reviews)
(800+ reviews)
Your PET scan report mentions the liver and blood pool because they are internal reference standards — not because anything is wrong with them. Radiologists compare uptake in any area of concern against these two fixed points to produce a score. This is the basis of Deauville scoring, used in lymphoma and some other cancers to measure treatment response.
How do the liver and blood pool differ as reference points?
| Feature | Mediastinal blood pool | Liver |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Tracer activity in the large blood vessels near the heart | An organ that absorbs the tracer at a stable, predictable level in most people |
| Position in Deauville scale | Lower reference — score 2 is uptake at or below this level | Upper reference — score 4 is moderately above this, score 5 is markedly above |
| What 'at this level' means | Low uptake, close to background — generally a favourable sign | Moderate uptake — the area sits between the two references, scored as 3 |
| What 'above this level' means | Mild increase from background — may reach score 3 | Clearly elevated uptake — score 4 or 5 on the Deauville scale |
What does 'above the liver' mean in a report?
When your report says uptake is above the liver, it means the area being scored is absorbing more tracer than your liver does. On the Deauville scale, this places the score at 4 or 5.
A score of 4 means the uptake is moderately above liver level. A score of 5 means it is markedly higher, or that new areas of uptake have appeared. Your oncologist uses the score alongside other clinical information — not as a standalone verdict.
The same score can mean different things depending on your cancer type, where you are in treatment, and what your previous scans showed. Only your doctor can tell you what the number means for you.
PET-CT Partner Centres
PET-CT Scan Centres in Hyderabad
CION offers PET-CT scans through 4 trusted partner PET-CT centres across Hyderabad, so you can choose the one closest to you. Call 18002028726 and we’ll guide you to the earliest available appointment.
PET-CT Centre — Punjagutta
PET-CT Centre — Himayatnagar
PET-CT Centre — Narayanaguda
These are partner diagnostic centres within the CION network. Toll-free booking: 18002028726.
Meet the Specialists
17+ senior cancer specialists. One panel for your case.
Trained at AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and leading international centres. Combined 150+ years of experience. Every complex case is reviewed by 3+ of them — together.
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Interventional Radiologist
Dr. Mohammed Imran
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
Surgical Oncologist
Want a specific doctor for your case? Mention them when booking.
Book Free ConsultationBook an appointment with our specialist
Share your name and number — we'll call you back within 30 minutes to schedule your consultation.
You do not have to work this out alone
A 45-minute consultation with a specialist who treats this every week.
What do these terms in your report mean?
- FDG (tracer)
- A radioactive glucose injected before the scan. More active cells absorb more of it, which is why cancer and inflammation often appear as bright areas.
- Uptake
- How much tracer an area absorbs. Higher uptake appears brighter on the scan image and is measured against the two reference points.
- Mediastinal blood pool
- The lower reference point — tracer activity in the large vessels near the heart. Uptake at or below this level scores 1 or 2 on the Deauville scale.
- Deauville score
- A 1-to-5 scale comparing uptake in a lesion against the blood pool and the liver. Widely used in lymphoma response assessment and in some other cancers.
- Background activity
- The baseline level of tracer in normal, less metabolically active tissue. The mediastinal blood pool is one standard measure of this baseline.
What questions should you bring to your appointment?
- Ask which Deauville score the report gives and what it means at this stage of your treatment.
- Ask whether the score has changed since your last scan.
- Ask what the next step is based on this result.
- Tell your team if your blood sugar was high or you were not fasting before the scan — this affects how the liver takes up the tracer.
- Bring a printed or saved copy of your report so your team can discuss the exact wording with you.
Did you know?
The Deauville scoring system was built around one principle: the same measurement should mean the same thing at every centre in the world.
Anchoring each score to the liver and blood pool — organs present in every patient — is what makes that consistency possible across thousands of PET centres.
Source: LYRIC criteria and EANM procedure guidelines for tumour FDG-PET/CT imaging
A whole-body PET-CT at CION is Rs 10,499 — among the lowest published prices in Hyderabad — with a free Rs 950 oncologist consultation to talk through your report. Indicative price, as of September 2026.
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?
Your next step
Talk to an oncologist about your scan
Your PET-CT report read by a senior oncologist, explained in plain language, with a free 45-minute consultation.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Why does my report mention the liver if my cancer is not in the liver?
The liver appears as a measuring reference, not as a finding. Radiologists need a predictable, stable level of tracer activity to compare against suspicious areas, and the liver provides that reliably. If the radiologist had found a concern in your liver, it would appear differently — described as a lesion or an area of abnormal uptake with its own measurements. Seeing the liver named as a reference point is routine and not a cause for concern.
Does a higher Deauville score always mean worse?
Not necessarily. The score reflects how much tracer an area absorbs relative to the two reference points. Whether that is concerning depends on your cancer type, where you are in treatment, and what your previous scans showed. A score of 4 early in treatment may prompt a different response than the same score after the final cycle. Your oncologist interprets the number in context — it is not a verdict on its own.
What does a Deauville score of 3 mean?
A score of 3 means uptake is above the mediastinal blood pool but at or below liver level. In some cancers and scoring systems this is considered a partial response; in others it may be interpreted differently. The significance of a 3 is not something to work out from the report alone — it is a direct question for your oncologist, who will read it against your full clinical picture.
Does diabetes or high blood sugar affect these readings?
Yes. Elevated blood sugar changes how the tracer distributes in the body, including how much the liver takes up. This is why most PET centres ask you to fast before the scan. If your blood sugar was elevated on the day, the reporting radiologist will usually note it. Tell your oncologist so they can factor it into the interpretation of your result.
Is the mediastinal blood pool the same as blood vessels throughout the body?
No. The mediastinal blood pool refers specifically to tracer activity measured in the large blood vessels running through the chest — most often the descending aorta or the heart chambers. Radiologists use this location because it gives a consistent, reproducible baseline that is unlikely to be affected by disease at common cancer sites. It is not a reading from blood vessels throughout the body.
Can I have a PET scan if I have a liver condition?
This is a question for the team arranging your scan. Liver conditions can affect how much tracer the liver takes up, which may influence how useful it is as a reference point. Your oncologist and the nuclear medicine team will assess this before the scan is scheduled. Do not assume you cannot have one — raise it with your team so they can plan accordingly.