Concierge nuclear medicine · London
PET scanning, FDG-PET-CT plus specialist tracers (PSMA, amyloid, DOTATATE) for cancer, cardiac and dementia imaging.
PET (positron emission tomography) uses radiolabelled tracers to image metabolic and molecular processes. FDG-PET-CT is the workhorse for cancer staging, sarcoidosis and fever of unknown origin; specialist tracers include PSMA (prostate), amyloid (Alzheimer’s), DOTATATE (NET) and cardiac Rb-82.
Why patients choose us
- 01
The right hands
We route you to a consultant nuclear medicine physician and radiologist — the people who choose the tracer, run the scan and read it.
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The right tracer
FDG isn’t always the answer. We match PSMA, amyloid, DOTATATE or cardiac tracers to the clinical question.
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Independent, and free
We are paid by no clinic, so the recommendation is impartial and costs you nothing.
Key facts
PET scanning at a glance.
The six things worth knowing before you book — what PET actually is, and which tracer answers which question.
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Definition
Positron-emission tomography with radiolabelled tracers, fused with CT (or MRI).
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FDG
The workhorse tracer for cancer, infection and inflammation.
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PSMA
Prostate-specific membrane antigen — for prostate cancer staging and recurrence.
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Amyloid
Florbetapir / florbetaben / flutemetamol for Alzheimer’s assessment.
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DOTATATE
Somatostatin-receptor tracer for neuroendocrine tumours.
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Consultant read
Consultant nuclear medicine and radiology dual-report.
Indicative pricing
What a private PET scan costs in London.
Indicative ranges across our partner clinics. Send the details and we quote firm figures across two or three options.
In short
A standard FDG-PET-CT in our network: £1,600–£2,400, with a dual-consultant report typically within 24–48 hours.
| Scan type | Indicative range | Typical duration | Report turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDG-PET-CT (whole-body oncology) | £1,600–£2,400 | 2–3 hr | 24–48 hr |
| PSMA-PET-CT (prostate) | £2,200–£3,200 | 2–3 hr | 24–48 hr |
| DOTATATE-PET-CT (neuroendocrine) | £2,400–£3,400 | 2–3 hr | 24–48 hr |
| Amyloid-PET (Alzheimer’s) | £2,600–£3,600 | 90 min | 48–72 hr |
| Cardiac PET (Rb-82 perfusion) | £2,400–£3,400 | 90 min | 48 hr |
| PET-MRI (where clinically indicated) | £2,800–£4,000 | 2–3 hr | 48–72 hr |
Prices vary by tracer, whether PET-MRI is used and which clinic. We come back with a firm quote within one working day.
The problem
A PET scan is only as useful as the tracer choice and the reader.
FDG is not the right tracer for every question — and PET reads live or die on consultant experience. We match tracer to clinical question, and route to a dual-consultant nuclear medicine and radiology report.
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Cancer staging or response?
FDG-PET-CT for most tumours; PSMA for prostate; DOTATATE for neuroendocrine.
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Fever, sarcoid or vasculitis?
Whole-body FDG-PET-CT to localise inflammation and drive treatment.
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Memory or cardiac symptoms?
Amyloid-PET for Alzheimer’s pathway; PYP or amyloid tracers for cardiac amyloid.
The journey
From referral to report — what happens, in order.
A consultant-led pathway, tracer chosen for your question, dual-reported by nuclear medicine and radiology.
Phase 1 · Before your scan
Referral and fasting
Phase 2 · On the day
~2–3 hours at the clinic
Phase 3 · After
Report and MDT
- 01
Before
Consultant referral
Your consultant provides a formal referral outlining the clinical question and tracer requested.
- 02
Before
Fasting 6 hours (FDG)
For FDG-PET-CT, six hours of fasting with water only. Diabetes protocols apply.
- 03
On the day
IV tracer injection
A small IV dose of the radiolabelled tracer is administered by the nuclear-medicine team.
- 04
On the day
Uptake wait (60–90 min for FDG)
You rest quietly while the tracer distributes. Wait time depends on tracer — FDG 60–90 minutes.
- 05
On the day
PET-CT (or PET-MRI) acquisition
The scan itself is 20–40 minutes on a hybrid PET-CT (or PET-MRI where available).
- 06
After
Post-processing
Images are reconstructed, fused with the anatomical CT/MRI and quantified (SUVmax).
- 07
After
Structured report
Dual-consultant nuclear medicine and radiology report, delivered to your referring team.
Typical end-to-end: 3–7 days. Urgent oncology cases: same week.
What it shows
When PET is the right test.
PET answers questions structural imaging can’t — metabolism, receptor expression and protein deposition. These are the presentations we see most.
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Cancer staging and treatment response
The workhorse indication — staging, restaging and response assessment across most solid tumours and lymphoma.
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Sarcoidosis granulomas
FDG-avid granulomatous disease — cardiac, pulmonary and systemic sarcoid activity.
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Fever of unknown origin
Whole-body FDG-PET-CT localises occult infection, inflammation or malignancy.
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Vasculitis (large vessel)
Giant-cell arteritis, Takayasu and other large-vessel vasculitis on FDG uptake in vessel walls.
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PSMA prostate cancer imaging
PSMA-PET-CT for primary staging and biochemical recurrence at low PSA.
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DOTATATE neuroendocrine tumours
Somatostatin-receptor imaging for NETs — staging, restaging and PRRT selection.
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Cardiac amyloid (florbetapir, PYP)
Amyloid-tracer or PYP imaging for cardiac amyloidosis characterisation.
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Red flag: FDG-avid mediastinal / peritoneal disease — urgent oncology MDT
Bulky FDG-avid nodal or peritoneal disease is an urgent oncology MDT referral, not a private follow-up slot.
Next steps
What a PET scan sets up.
The scan is a means, not an end. These are the pathways it typically feeds into.
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Cancer MDT for staging
Direct route into a consultant-led oncology MDT for staging decisions and treatment planning.
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Molecular / immuno-targeted therapy
PET findings guide selection of targeted, hormonal or immunotherapy pathways.
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Radiotherapy planning
PET-avid disease maps to radiotherapy volumes for precision treatment.
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Sarcoidosis treatment
Steroid or steroid-sparing therapy guided by metabolic activity of granulomas.
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Anti-inflammatory therapy
For large-vessel vasculitis and inflammatory disease flagged on FDG.
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Cardiac amyloid pathway
Cardiology-led amyloid pathway including tafamidis and disease-modifying therapy.
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Dementia MDT for amyloid
Memory-clinic MDT interpretation of amyloid-PET in the context of clinical and CSF data.
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Structured PET-CT follow-up
Serial PET-CT to track response, using consistent SUV methodology and reader.
Our vetted London network
A small panel of PET centres, we picked them.
Central-London PET-CT (and PET-MRI) centres. Not listed publicly — introductions are made privately, once we understand your case.
Selection criteria
How we choose every clinic in our network.
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Consultant nuclear medicine physicians and consultant radiologists dual-reporting
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Full tracer portfolio — FDG, PSMA, amyloid, DOTATATE and cardiac perfusion
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Hybrid PET-CT (and PET-MRI where indicated) on current-generation scanners
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Onward oncology, cardiology or dementia MDT pathway if significant findings are identified
Red flags on PET
Findings that change the pathway immediately.
PET findings can shift care from routine to urgent overnight. These are the patterns we escalate straight into MDT.
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Widespread metastatic disease
FDG-avid metastatic burden triggers urgent oncology MDT referral, not a routine private follow-up.
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FDG-avid inflammatory disease requiring treatment
Large-vessel vasculitis, sarcoid or systemic inflammation may need urgent immunosuppression.
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High-grade lymphoma pattern
High SUV, bulky nodal disease is a haematology emergency route, not a slow private clinic.
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Occult primary cancer
When PET identifies a primary in a cancer-of-unknown-primary work-up, oncology takes over immediately.
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Post-transplant infection
Immunosuppressed patients with FDG-avid foci need transplant-team escalation.
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Vasculitis relapse
Rising vessel-wall FDG uptake in known vasculitis suggests relapse and needs rheumatology input.
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Sarcoid activity
Cardiac-sarcoid FDG uptake changes management and needs cardiology-rheumatology co-review.
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Post-immunotherapy pseudo-progression
Apparent progression on FDG after immunotherapy may be pseudo-progression — interpretation is nuanced.
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Cardiac amyloid with heart failure
Positive amyloid or PYP scan with heart-failure symptoms is a same-week cardiology pathway.
Reading your report
A PET-CT report can look intimidating. It isn’t.
Whatever the finding, the report keeps to the same four parts.
A quiet reminder
The report is written for your oncologist or physician, not for you — and that’s normal.
If you would like us to talk you through it before your follow-up, just ask.
- 01 Header
Indication, tracer and dose
Clinical question, tracer used (FDG/PSMA/amyloid/DOTATATE), administered activity and uptake time.
- 02 Technique
Acquisition and fusion
PET-CT (or PET-MRI) protocol, CT parameters and reconstruction method.
- 03 Findings
Uptake pattern, SUVmax, anatomical correlation
Region-by-region description with SUVmax quantification and CT/MRI correlate.
- 04 Impression
The conclusion: read this first
Staging classification, response category or diagnostic conclusion — with the concrete next step.
Recognised by major UK insurers
Cover depends on your policy, tracer and clinic; we confirm with your insurer before booking.
Frequently asked
Everything we get asked about PET scanning.
Quick answers on tracers, fasting, timings, safety and turnaround.
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What can a PET scan pick up that a normal CT or MRI can’t?
PET images metabolic and molecular activity rather than just structure — FDG-PET-CT lights up glucose-avid tissue like cancer, infection and inflammation before it distorts anatomy. In London we can also arrange specialist tracers (PSMA for prostate, DOTATATE for neuroendocrine tumours, amyloid for cognitive workup) usually within 3–7 working days at accredited scanners.
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Which tracer is right for my scan?
FDG is the workhorse for oncology, sarcoidosis, fever of unknown origin and vasculitis. PSMA is used for prostate cancer, DOTATATE for neuroendocrine tumours, amyloid tracers for Alzheimer’s assessment, and Rb-82 or PYP for cardiac indications. Your consultant chooses the tracer; we make sure the clinic can deliver it.
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Do I need to fast before a PET scan?
For FDG-PET-CT, six hours of fasting with water only — this maximises tracer uptake in disease and minimises background. Specialist tracers (PSMA, amyloid, DOTATATE) generally don’t require fasting. Diabetic patients follow a specific protocol.
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How long does a PET scan take?
Plan for 2–3 hours in the department: check-in, IV tracer injection, an uptake period of 60–90 minutes for FDG (shorter for some specialist tracers), then a 20–40 minute scan on the hybrid PET-CT.
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Is PET-CT safe?
PET-CT uses ionising radiation from both the tracer and the CT component. The dose is justified by the clinical value in cancer, cardiac and dementia work-ups. Pregnancy is generally a contraindication; breast-feeding requires a short interruption after the scan.
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How quickly will I get results?
A dual-consultant nuclear medicine and radiology report is typically issued within 24–48 hours — 48–72 hours for amyloid and PET-MRI. Urgent oncology cases can be discussed same-day.
Sources
Guidelines this page draws on.
- British Nuclear Medicine Society.
- European Association of Nuclear Medicine.
- Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.
- Royal College of Radiologists.
Published 2026-07-30 · Reviewed 2026-07-30 · Next review 2027-07-30 · Reading time 6 min
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In practice, in London
Booking PET scanning privately in London — what actually happens
With PET scanning, the London question is usually about report turnaround and the radiologist reading it — not whether the scan is available. The wait for PET scanning 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 scanning 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. The consultants we work with hold NHS posts alongside their private lists, which keeps the standards consistent across both settings. For PET scanning specifically, the difference between a routine report and a sub-speciality read is where private care earns its keep.
We’re careful about what a private pathway for PET scanning can and can’t promise. It can compress a wait, put you in front of a subspecialist quickly, and get a proper report in your hands within a week. It can’t rewrite what the imaging or the bloods say. Setting that expectation up front tends to make the whole experience less stressful.
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