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Imaging · London

Private PET-CT in London, read by a nuclear medicine physician.

A metabolic scan that shows biological activity as well as anatomy - the definitive test for many cancer questions, from staging to treatment response. Read by a nuclear medicine physician.

A stethoscope on a clinical desk

Indicative pricing

What a private PET-CT costs in London.

Indicative ranges across UK centres.

In short

£1,800–£2,800, reported in 3–7 days.

Scan type Indicative range
Whole-body PET-CT (FDG) £1,800–£2,800
PET-CT for suspected cancer £2,000–£3,000
Cardiac PET (viability) £2,200–£3,400
Amyloid / brain PET £2,500–£3,800
PSMA PET-CT (prostate) £2,200–£3,200
Follow-up PET-CT (surveillance) £1,700–£2,600

Prices vary by tracer, centre and whether a diagnostic contrast-enhanced CT is added. Specialist tracers such as PSMA, DOTATATE and amyloid are meaningfully more expensive than standard FDG.

The problem

Anatomy alone isn’t always the answer.

A CT shows what things look like. A PET-CT shows whether they are metabolically alive. In cancer, that distinction is often the whole clinical question - is this active disease, or is it scar; is treatment working, or isn’t it.

  • Staging a new cancer

    Where else is it? PET-CT often finds disease that changes the plan.

  • Is treatment working?

    Metabolic response shows weeks earlier than change in size on CT.

  • PSA rising after prostate treatment?

    PSMA PET finds recurrence far earlier and more precisely than CT or bone scan.

What it shows

What a PET-CT is genuinely best at.

PET-CT earns its place for specific questions - most of them in oncology, some in cardiology, neurology and infection.

  • Cancer detection

    Highlights metabolically active tumours the anatomy alone may hide.

  • Cancer staging

    Maps the true extent of disease before treatment decisions are made.

  • Treatment response

    Shows whether chemotherapy or radiotherapy is actually working, weeks earlier than size change.

  • Recurrence surveillance

    Distinguishes active disease from post-treatment scar in patients under follow-up.

  • Brain imaging

    Amyloid and FDG brain PET support dementia and cognitive-decline work-up.

  • Cardiac viability

    Shows which areas of heart muscle are still alive and might recover with revascularisation.

  • Inflammation & infection

    Localises occult infection, large-vessel vasculitis and inflammatory activity.

  • Red flags & appropriate use

    Not a general screening tool - we only recommend PET when the clinical question fits it.

PET-CT scan types

Not all PET-CT scans are the same.

The tracer, not just the scanner, defines what the study can answer.

  • Whole-body FDG PET-CT

    The standard tracer - a glucose analogue that lights up most active cancers, infection and inflammation.

  • PSMA PET-CT (prostate)

    A prostate-specific tracer, far more sensitive than CT or bone scan for prostate cancer staging and recurrence.

  • DOTATATE PET-CT (neuroendocrine)

    A somatostatin-receptor tracer for neuroendocrine tumours, including small primaries CT can miss.

  • Amyloid brain PET

    Detects amyloid plaques in the brain, used in the work-up of suspected Alzheimer’s disease.

  • Cardiac viability PET

    Shows hibernating but living heart muscle before revascularisation decisions.

  • PET-MRI (hybrid)

    Combines PET metabolism with MRI soft-tissue detail - useful in pelvic, brain and paediatric work.

  • Half-dose / low-dose protocols

    Modern scanners and protocols can meaningfully reduce the radiation dose where clinically appropriate.

  • Paediatric PET-CT

    Weight-adjusted, low-dose protocols delivered in centres with paediatric nuclear medicine experience.

Safety and eligibility

Radiotracer, fasting, and life on the day.

PET-CT is very safe when it is done properly. The rules - fasting, glucose, warmth, close-contact - exist because they materially change what the scan can see.

  • Radiation dose

    PET-CT delivers a moderate dose - around 7 mSv for a whole-body FDG study, higher than a standard CT. We only recommend it when the clinical benefit clearly outweighs the dose.

  • Fasting before FDG PET

    You must fast for around six hours before an FDG PET-CT. Water is fine. This keeps background glucose uptake low so tumours stand out.

  • Blood glucose target

    A finger-prick glucose is checked on arrival. We aim for a level below 11 mmol/L - high sugars degrade image quality.

  • Keep warm and quiet after injection

    You rest in a quiet room for around an hour after the tracer injection. Cold or activity drives uptake into muscle and brown fat and obscures findings.

  • Pregnancy

    PET-CT is avoided in pregnancy.

  • Breastfeeding

    Breastfeeding usually needs to be interrupted for around 24 hours after FDG PET. We give you a written plan before the scan.

  • Close contact after the scan

    For around six hours we ask you to keep distance from young children and pregnant partners while the short-lived tracer decays.

  • Iodinated CT contrast

    A diagnostic contrast-enhanced CT may be added on top of the PET. Contrast safety, allergy history and metformin advice are handled separately.

  • Kidney function

    If iodinated contrast is planned, a recent eGFR is needed - the contrast is cleared by the kidneys.

Reading your report

A PET-CT report can look intimidating. It isn’t.

However complex the study, a PET-CT report keeps to the same four parts.

A consultant nuclear medicine physician reviewing PET-CT images on a clinical workstation in Central London

A quiet reminder

The report is written for your oncologist, not for you - and that is normal.

Ask your care team to explain anything that is unclear.

  1. 01 Header

    Your details and the indication

    Your details, the tracer used, and the clinical question - staging, response, recurrence or diagnosis.

  2. 02 Technique

    Tracer, activity and phases

    Which radiotracer was used, the administered activity in MBq, uptake time, and any delayed or contrast-enhanced phases.

  3. 03 Findings

    Metabolic activity and pattern

    A structured description of tracer uptake - location, pattern and SUV values (standardised uptake) - alongside anatomical CT correlation.

  4. 04 Impression

    The conclusion: read this first

    The bottom line - cancer stage, response category (Deauville, PERCIST) or diagnostic conclusion. Your specialist discusses it in context.

Recognised by major UK insurers

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Frequently asked

Everything we get asked about PET-CT.

Quick answers on cost, referral, radiation, fasting, tracers and results.

  • What does a PET-CT show that a CT alone doesn’t?

    CT shows anatomy - the size and shape of things. PET shows biological activity - how metabolically alive a lesion is. Combined, PET-CT can distinguish active cancer from scar, find disease hidden in normal-sized lymph nodes, and show whether treatment is actually working weeks earlier than a size change would.

  • How much does a private PET-CT cost in London?

    Specialist tracers such as PSMA, DOTATATE or amyloid are more expensive.

  • Do I need a referral?

    Yes - PET-CT is almost always arranged on the recommendation of a consultant, usually an oncologist. The dose and cost mean it should be clinically justified.

  • How much radiation is involved, and is it worth it?

    A whole-body FDG PET-CT is around 7 mSv, higher than a standard CT and roughly two to three years of natural background radiation. For staging cancer, planning treatment or catching recurrence early, that trade-off is almost always justified.

  • What are the fasting rules?

    For FDG PET-CT you fast for around six hours before the scan. Water is fine, and essential medications can usually continue. High-sugar food or drink beforehand ruins the scan quality.

  • I have diabetes - what should I do about my medication?

    Blood glucose control matters - we aim for a level below 11 mmol/L on the day. We give you written instructions on when to take insulin or oral diabetes drugs, and time the appointment around your regime.

  • Why is PET-CT mainly used for cancer?

    Most cancers consume glucose faster than surrounding tissue, so FDG PET lights them up. It is uniquely good at staging, restaging and response assessment. Non-cancer uses - cardiac viability, dementia, occult infection - are real but narrower.

  • When is PSMA PET used instead of FDG?

    PSMA PET is prostate-specific and far more sensitive than CT or bone scan for prostate cancer - used for staging intermediate/high-risk disease and for finding recurrence when PSA rises after treatment.

  • Can I breastfeed after a PET-CT?

    Breastfeeding usually needs to be interrupted for around 24 hours after FDG PET so the tracer decays. Pump and discard during that window. We give you a written plan and confirm the exact interval for your tracer.

  • Will my insurance cover it?

    Most policies cover PET-CT when clinically indicated, referred by a consultant and pre-authorised.

Related content

Looking for a different test?

In practice, in London

Booking PET CT privately in London - what actually happens

With PET CT, the London question is usually about report turnaround and the radiologist reading it - not whether the scan is available. The wait for PET CT on the NHS depends heavily on where you live and how urgently the referral is graded. Central and West London private clinics can normally book within a week, with imaging or a procedure slot to follow shortly after. It’s worth being honest about the reason for going private: usually it’s time, not a fundamentally different test.

A private PET CT pathway in London usually looks like this: an initial consultation, any diagnostics booked at a nearby facility (most within Zone 1 or 2), and a written report sent to you and your GP within a few days. For PET CT specifically, the difference between a routine report and a sub-speciality read is where private care earns its keep.

The value is knowing which consultant reads this particular presentation best, which unit turns reports around fastest, and which pathway won’t hit a dead end if the findings point somewhere unexpected.