PET-CT Scan in China for International Patients — Process, Eligibility & Booking (2026)

Who this is for

This page is for patients who already have a reason to get a PET-CT — not a general cancer-screening product.

A PET-CT is typically ordered by a treating physician for cancer staging, monitoring treatment response, follow-up after therapy, or investigating a specific clinical finding (for example, on a neurology, cardiology, or oncology pathway). It's a decision your doctor makes based on your history and other results — this page doesn't make that decision for you, and nothing here is medical advice.

If you don't yet have a specific indication and are simply curious about full-body screening options, our personalized health screening and preventive health screening pages cover a broader range of tests that don't require a referral.

How booking works

The short version: send us what you have, we confirm the scan and price, you travel, you get an English report.

1. Tell us what's been indicated. A note from your doctor, a referral letter, or even a description of what was discussed is enough to start — we don't require a formal GP referral letter to book the scan itself.
2. Send any existing imaging or results. Prior scans, pathology, or blood work help the radiologist plan the study and give useful context for the report.
3. We confirm the scan, the price and a date. You'll get a written quote before you pay anything, and the earliest available appointment.
4. You travel and the scan is done. Full-body PET-CT requires blood glucose to be under control and a period of rest after the tracer injection before scanning — we'll send preparation instructions in advance.
5. You receive an English report. The report is prepared for you and, if you'd like, we can help you send it on to your treating physician at home.

Everything above is a description of our coordination process, not a promise about how quickly any individual step happens.

What the scan covers

Scope depends on which hospital does the scan — this is not the same everywhere, including within China.

At our partner hospital in Shenzhen, the whole-body PET-CT protocol covers head to toe, including the limbs, per the hospital's own scanning catalogue — confirmed to us verbally, with written confirmation still pending on our side. We haven't confirmed the same scope for our Shanghai partner and don't assume it's identical — if scope for a specific body region matters for your case, ask us to confirm with the specific hospital before you book.

A conventional PET-CT (most machines worldwide) images from skull base to mid-thigh by international convention — it's specifically the total-body scanner class used at some centers that extends further. Which protocol applies depends on the hospital and machine, not on the term "PET-CT" alone. See our imaging cost & equipment comparison for more on the scanner used here.

For readers coming from the UK

Private PET-CT is available in the UK — the constraint most people run into is access, not price.

Private PET-CT scans in the UK typically run from about £1,100 to £1,800, but most providers at the lower end of that range require a referral from a GMC-registered consultant before they'll book you. Self-referral options exist but are limited.

Under the UK's Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017, a PET-CT for an asymptomatic individual isn't simply refused or granted — a practitioner has to justify the exposure case-by-case under Regulation 11, weighing the same factors regardless of where the scan happens. That's a process requirement, not a ban, and it applies whether the scan is done in the UK or arranged abroad with a UK-based physician's involvement.

If you already have a clinical indication and are weighing where to have it done, we're simply an alternative to the UK's private options — coordinated in English, with the constraints above.

Current pricing

These are the same published prices as our imaging cost page — we don't keep a second price list.

Prices are for the scan and English report; they don't include travel, accommodation, or a treating-physician consultation. You'll get a written quote confirming exactly what's included before you pay. Full detail and comparison against US/UK list prices: medical imaging cost in China.

Radiation and how to think about it

We're not going to tell you whether the exposure is worth it for you — that's your doctor's call. Here's the factual basis for that conversation.

A PET-CT combines a CT scan with an injected radioactive tracer (usually ¹⁸F-FDG), so the radiation dose is higher than an MRI or an unenhanced CT, and higher than a PET/MRI, which swaps the CT component for MRI. The right way to weigh that is against what the scan is being used for — for someone with an active clinical question, the diagnostic information usually outweighs a single scan's dose; for someone without a specific indication, that trade-off looks different, which is part of why this page isn't a screening pitch.

If you want the fuller comparison across PET-CT, CT, and MRI, including dose figures, see our PET scan: what it shows and what it doesn't and post-scan radiation precautions articles.

PET-CT in China — FAQ

Have a PET-CT indicated? Tell us what you need.

Send us your doctor's note or a description of what's been indicated, plus any existing imaging, and we'll confirm the scan, the price, and the earliest date — with an English report at the end.

Keep reading: PET Scan Cost: US, UK, Australia & China Compared · UK & EU Private PET Scan Cost vs. China · Medical Imaging Cost in China (MRI, CT & PET-CT) · PET-CT vs MRI — Which Do You Need?