General information on PET-CT, biopsy and staging tests, and how diagnostic appointments at a partner clinic are coordinated, with results shared with your treating doctors.
Important
This is general information, not medical advice. Cancer care decisions must be made with your treating oncologist. In an emergency, contact your local emergency services.
ELAVIA Global coordinates care; it does not provide medical treatment. All cancer care is delivered by independent partner clinics and their licensed oncologists.
A second opinion is an additional view, not a replacement for your current care. Please do not stop, delay or change any treatment without speaking to your treating team.
Cancer diagnostics are the tests used to find out whether cancer is present, what type it is and how far it has spread. They include imaging such as CT, MRI and PET-CT; a biopsy, where a small sample of tissue is taken; and pathology, where a specialist doctor examines that tissue under a microscope, often with additional molecular tests.
Staging brings these results together to describe the size of the tumour and whether it has spread to lymph nodes or other organs. The stage, together with the pathology, is the basis for treatment planning.
Tests are requested by a doctor to answer a specific clinical question. A PET-CT or a biopsy is not a general screening test, and results need to be interpreted by a specialist in the context of your history. Results are shared with you and, with your consent, with your treating doctors.
You contact a coordinator and describe what you would like reviewed. We explain what we can and cannot do: ELAVIA Global coordinates care and does not give medical advice or treatment.
With your consent, your reports, imaging and pathology are shared securely with an oncologist at an independent partner clinic. Original scan files or pathology slides may need to be re-reviewed, or some tests repeated.
A specialist at the partner clinic reviews the request and your records and confirms which tests are appropriate. Some tests need preparation, such as fasting or pausing certain medicines, which the clinic explains.
Scans and procedures are carried out at the partner clinic. Reports are written by radiologists and pathologists; some results, such as detailed molecular tests, take longer.
You receive written reports to take home. Ongoing follow-up is usually arranged with your oncologist at home, and the coordinator helps share records between the teams.
These are general examples only. Whether any test or treatment is appropriate is decided by a treating oncologist after examination, imaging and pathology review.
Send copies and keep your originals. The reviewing team may ask for further records, or for some tests to be repeated.
Cost depends on the diagnosis and treatment plan and is confirmed in a written quote after consultation.
PET-CT is not used as a routine screening test. It is requested by a doctor to answer a specific question, and it involves exposure to radiation. A specialist confirms whether it is appropriate before anything is booked.
Scan reports are often ready within a few days. Biopsy and pathology results usually take longer, and some molecular tests can take a few weeks. The clinic gives you an estimate for each test.
Results should be explained by a doctor, at the partner clinic and by your own treating team. The coordinator can help arrange a consultation to go through the reports, but does not interpret them.
Usually, yes: for example fasting for several hours and keeping blood sugar under control if you have diabetes. The clinic gives you specific instructions, which should be followed exactly.
Share your records and questions. A coordinator explains how a review with a partner oncologist can be arranged. There is no obligation to proceed, and your current care continues as planned.
This is general information, not medical advice. Cancer care decisions must be made with your treating oncologist. In an emergency, contact your local emergency services. ELAVIA Global coordinates care; it does not provide medical treatment. All cancer care is delivered by independent partner clinics and their licensed oncologists.