Scan day planning
Can a PET-CT Scan Be Done — the Same Day as Other Tests?
Some tests can share a day with your PET-CT without any problem. Others — especially a biopsy — change what the scan shows, and combining them without checking can delay your care.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla, Medical Oncologist, MBBS · MD · DM (Adyar, Chennai) · ECMO · MRCP SCE (UK) · Last reviewed September 2026
- Blood tests are usually fine — A routine blood draw before your PET-CT does not affect the scan. The glucose check is a separate step done at the imaging centre on arrival.
- Biopsy before PET-CT is a problem — A needle biopsy causes local inflammation that appears as a bright spot on the scan and can be mistaken for cancer spread.
- Order matters — If a biopsy and a PET-CT must happen close together, the PET-CT should come first.
- Tell your team everything booked — If you have multiple procedures in the same week, your oncology team needs to know so they can confirm the right sequence.
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Most blood tests can be done the same day as your PET-CT, usually before the scan. A biopsy on the same day is not recommended — the procedure causes local inflammation that appears as a bright spot on the scan and can mislead the radiologist reading your results.
At CION, a whole-body PET-CT starts from Rs 10,499 — among the lowest published prices in Hyderabad. Indicative price, as of September 2026.
In what order should tests happen on a PET-CT day?
Blood test first, if needed that day
A routine blood draw — for a full blood count, liver function, or tumour markers — can happen before your PET-CT without affecting the scan. Get it done before you go to the imaging centre.
Arrive fasting, with your glucose in range
When you arrive, the scan team will check your blood glucose before injecting the tracer. If your glucose is too high, the tracer cannot distribute correctly and the scan cannot go ahead. This is why fasting before the scan matters, and why your team will tell you what to eat and avoid beforehand.
Tracer injection and rest period
Once your glucose is confirmed to be in range, the radioactive tracer is injected. You then rest quietly while it distributes through your body. Any movement or activity during this time affects where the tracer concentrates and how the images look.
The PET-CT scan itself
The scan combines a PET image — which shows metabolic activity — with a CT image that shows anatomy. Both are done together on the same machine in a single session.
Biopsy only after the scan, if both must happen the same day
If your team has determined that both must happen the same day, the PET-CT must come first. A biopsy performed after the scan does not affect images that have already been taken.
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.
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What do I need to tell the scan team if I have other tests booked?
- Tell the imaging centre if you have had a biopsy in the past few weeks — even if it was at a different site to the area being scanned.
- Tell your oncologist if a biopsy and a PET-CT have been booked within days of each other, so the sequence can be confirmed before either appointment happens.
- Tell the scan team about any recent injection — including steroid injections, IV contrast at another hospital, or IV medications.
- Tell them if you have diabetes or take insulin, as your scan may need to be scheduled or managed differently.
- Bring all your booking letters so the team can see exactly what is planned and when.
Why does a biopsy before PET-CT change the result?
A biopsy — even a simple needle biopsy — creates a small wound. Your immune system responds by sending cells to heal it, and that repair activity consumes glucose at a higher rate than normal tissue does.
The PET tracer is a radioactive form of glucose. It concentrates wherever glucose is being consumed at a high rate — which is normally how it identifies cancer. A fresh biopsy site behaves the same way on the scan.
The result is a bright spot at the biopsy location that can be mistaken for tumour spread, or that can mask a genuine finding in the same area. Radiologists can sometimes account for this when they know a biopsy was done, but the artefact is not always distinguishable from a real finding.
This is why the two procedures are planned in a deliberate order — and why telling your team about any procedure done in recent weeks matters, even if it happened at a different hospital or feels unrelated to your scan.
Book a PET-CT at CION from Rs 10,499 — among the lowest published prices in Hyderabad — with an oncologist-reviewed report and a free Rs 950 consultation, across 4 partner centres. Indicative price, as of September 2026.
Explore 92 more Preparing For and Having Your Scan Safely topics
Scan Day: What Actually Happens
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- Can You Drive Yourself Home After a PET-CT Scan?
- Can You Have Sedation for a PET-CT Scan?
- Can a PET-CT Scan Be Done on the Same Day as Other Tests?
- Contrast in a PET-CT Scan: When It Is Used and Why
- Eating and Drinking After Your PET-CT Scan
- How Long Does a PET-CT Scan Take?
- Is a PET-CT Scan Painful?
- Is a PET-CT Scanner Closed Like an MRI? Claustrophobia Explained
- The Tracer Injection: Does It Hurt?
- What Happens If the Scan Cannot Be Completed?
- What If You Cannot Lie Still or Have Tremors?
- What to Expect Immediately After the Scan
- Why Was My Scan Repeated or Extended on the Day?
- Why You Have to Wait an Hour After the Injection
- Your PET-CT Scan Day: What Happens, Step by Step
Contrast, Cannula & Procedure Safety
- Can You Have a PET-CT If You Are on Blood Thinners?
- Can You Have a PET-CT Through a Port or PICC Line?
- Contrast Allergy and PET-CT: What to Declare
- Contrast Reaction Symptoms: What to Watch For
- Contrast and Kidney Function: The Creatinine Rule
- Infection Risk and Hygiene at a Scan Centre
- Is Contrast Used in a PET-CT Scan?
- Metformin and Contrast: What Is the Rule?
- Side Effects of a PET-CT Scan
- The Cannula: Bruising, Pain and Difficult Veins
- Tracer Leakage at the Injection Site (Extravasation)
- What If You Feel Unwell During the Scan?
Diabetes & Blood Sugar for PET-CT
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- Does Diabetes Change Your SUV Reading?
- Fasting Safely With Diabetes Before a Scan
- Insulin and PET-CT: Timing Rules
- Newly Diagnosed Diabetes Found Before a Scan
- PET-CT Scan With Diabetes: The Complete Preparation Guide
- PET-CT With Steroid-Induced High Sugars
- What Blood Sugar Level Is Needed for a PET-CT Scan?
- What Happens If Your Sugar Is High on the Day?
- What to Eat the Day Before if You Have Diabetes
Preparing for Your Scan
- A Printable PET-CT Preparation Card
- Can I Drink Water Before a PET-CT Scan?
- Can I Have a PET-CT Scan During My Period?
- Can I Take My Regular Medicines Before a PET-CT Scan?
- Can You Reschedule a PET-CT Scan?
- Cold Weather, Shivering and Brown Fat: Why You Are Asked to Stay Warm
- Fasting Before a PET-CT Scan: How Long and Why
- How to Prepare for a PET-CT Scan: The Complete Checklist
- Preparing a Very Elderly or Frail Person for a PET-CT
- Preparing a Wheelchair-Bound or Bedridden Patient
- Preparing for a PSMA, DOTATATE or FAPI PET-CT
- Should I Avoid Exercise Before a PET-CT Scan?
- Smoking, Alcohol and Caffeine Before a PET-CT Scan
- What Happens If You Break the Fast by Mistake?
- What to Carry to Your PET-CT Appointment
- What to Eat the Day Before a PET-CT Scan
- What to Wear to a PET-CT Scan
- Why Your Kidney Function Test Is Needed Before a PET-CT
Radiation Safety & After-Scan Precautions
- Are You Radioactive After a PET-CT Scan?
- Being Around Pregnant Women After a PET-CT Scan
- Can I Hold My Child or Grandchild After a PET-CT Scan?
- Can a PET-CT Scan Cause Cancer?
- Cumulative Radiation From Repeated Scans
- Do You Need Precautions After a PSMA or DOTATATE Scan?
- Do You Need Separate Utensils or a Separate Toilet After a PET-CT?
- How Long Does the Tracer Stay in Your Body?
- How Long Should You Avoid Close Contact After a PET-CT?
- How Many PET-CT Scans Are Safe in a Year?
- How Much Radiation Is in a PET-CT Scan?
- Is PET-CT Radiation Different From Radiotherapy?
- Is the Radiation From a PET-CT Scan Dangerous?
- PET-CT Radiation Compared With CT, X-Ray and Natural Background
- Radiation Safety at Home After Your Scan: A Family Checklist
- Radiation Safety for Staff and Attendants at the Centre
- Simple Steps to Clear the Tracer Faster
- Travelling Home After a PET-CT Scan: Public Transport and Airports
Special Populations
- Breastfeeding and PET-CT: How Long to Pause
- PET-CT Scans for Children: A Parent's Guide
- PET-CT With Kidney Disease or on Dialysis
- PET-CT With a Pacemaker, Stent or Metal Implant
- PET-CT for Claustrophobic Patients
- PET-CT for Patients Who Cannot Lie Flat
- PET-CT for Patients With Anxiety or Panic Disorder
- PET-CT for Patients With Dementia or Confusion
- PET-CT for Patients With Incontinence or a Catheter
- PET-CT for Patients With a Stoma
- PET-CT for Patients on Long-Term Steroids
- PET-CT for Very Elderly or Frail Patients
- PET-CT for Very Heavy Patients: Weight and Bore Limits
- PET-CT for Wheelchair and Bedbound Patients
- PET-CT in Pregnancy: Why It Is Avoided
- Sedation and Fasting for a Child's PET Scan
Your next step
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Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I have a blood test the morning of my PET-CT?
Yes. A routine blood draw earlier in the morning — for a full blood count, liver function, or tumour markers — does not interfere with your scan. The glucose check that the imaging centre does on arrival is a separate, quick reading taken immediately before the tracer is injected. Tell the scan team what blood work you had done that morning. It is a good habit, and they will always want to know what else has happened before you arrived.
How long after a biopsy should I wait before having a PET-CT?
The inflammation from a biopsy can persist for days to weeks depending on where it was done and how your body heals. There is no single interval that applies to everyone. Your oncologist and the radiologist reporting the scan will advise based on the type of biopsy, where it was done, and what the PET-CT is intended to show. If your scan is booked close to a biopsy date, flag it before both appointments. The team can decide whether to proceed or reschedule — that is a clinical decision, not an administrative one.
My biopsy and PET-CT are booked for the same day. What should I do?
Call your oncology team before either appointment happens. In most cases the biopsy will be moved to after the PET-CT — ideally to a later date, or at minimum to later the same day once the scan is complete. Do not assume the booking team has already noticed the conflict. Appointments are often made independently by different departments, and neither may be aware of the other. A single call is all it takes and avoids the cost of repeating a scan.
Does a steroid injection or other medication affect PET-CT results?
Some medications can affect how the tracer distributes in your body. Steroid injections — given for joint pain, allergy, or any other reason — can alter immune cell activity and change what the scan shows. Some diabetes medications may also affect the scan, and your team may advise adjusting them before the procedure. Do not stop any medication on your own. Tell the scan team and your oncologist everything you take and any injection you have had in recent weeks, and let them decide what adjustment, if any, is needed.
Can I have a chest X-ray or ultrasound on the same day as my PET-CT?
A plain chest X-ray does not involve any injection and does not interfere with a PET-CT. An ultrasound also uses no radiation or injected agent and is generally fine on the same day. Neither creates the kind of tissue response that a biopsy does. The main variables to manage on a PET-CT day are your fasting, your glucose level, and any injections you have received. Tell the scan team what else is booked, and they will confirm what can be done in what order.