Being referred for PET scan- what is normal waiting time?

Hi DELI  that does sound like the usual waiting time. It does differ from hospital to hospital, and I have heard from people having to wait much longer. 

There are guidelines that hospitals do have to adhere to for cancer diagnoses and cancer treatment start. This is the recent information for cancer treatment wait times. 

• At least 98% of patients diagnosed with cancer should receive their first definitive treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat.
• At least 95% of patients should begin their first definitive treatment for cancer within 62 days following an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer. 
  
  
  

The waiting for tests and results is not easy. All I can say is that if they believed that this wait would have a detrimental effect on your Dad, then they would see him sooner. I know this doesn’t help, because there is a lot of unknowns until your dad get this PET scan done. Try to hang in there, the next couple of weeks will soon go. 

Hi, regarding your dad's PET-CT scan and biopsy.  I had my lung biopsy before I had the PET-CT scan, but I had a CT scan eight days after my initial abnormal chest X-ray.  I did not have the PET-CT until 14 days after the biopsy, this was to ensure there was no spread anywhere.  I was told by the respiratory consultant that a biopsy could be performed before the PET-CT as the CT scan alone pinpointed out the position of the cancer already.

A CT scan uses, what is called a contrast injection given via a cannula which is a kind of dye, this shows up organs and blood vessels that conventional X-rays miss. 

The PET-CT is more complex, it uses an injection via a cannula of a radioactive sugar solution called Fluorodeoxyglucose, this is a whole body scan, the purpose of which is to see if there are other cancers with the body.  The FDG injection is more readily absorbed into cancerous cells and appear as 'lit up' on imaging.  

As I say, I had a successful lung biopsy after just a CT scan, this determined what type of cancer I had as there are various different types. Although I had a core needle biopsy as opposed to a bronchoscopy.  I found my cancer nurse specialists very helpful in giving me all the information I needed, and they ring me regularly to catch-up and see how I am getting on. So please give them a ring with anything that is worrying you or your dad, they are only too happy to help.

Regarding waiting time for treatment, I have had three long months of various tests, invasive and non-invasive and have not started my treatment yet, I think it depends on geography and hospital waiting times for treatment.

Ann

Sanguinesse 

My dad had his CT scan on Monday 6th November and had his results to confirm cancer in the right lung on Wednesday 8th November. We saw the Respiratory Dr and Lung Cancer Specialist Nurse 15/11/23 and my dad has his PET scan booked in Monday 20th November. We were originally given a date for 1/12/23 at a local hospital for the PET scan but I was able to liaise with another hospital to get my dad seen sooner. In my dad's case they have suggested PET scan and then biopsy. They have advised that the PET scan will allow them to decide exactly where they will take the biopsies from. Because I work in adult's social care and work closely with health colleagues, I've found myself going online to look at what NICE guidelines and the NHS state are the timescales for lung cancer tests and investigations and when treatment should start. It's made me panic a bit as the initial date for the PET scan was outside what the NHS and NICE state are timescales from date of diagnosis to when treatment should start. I think the issue is, with the journey particularly in the early stages we are feeling quite of control and I think me looking online and trying to challenge these stats is giving us some of that control back.

Thank you so much for replying and take care