How many pet scans can a person safely have in 2 months?

Need vs safety: The average background radiation exposure is a bout 2 msv (millisievert)/yr, and an average pet scan uses 5-7, ct=6.5-8, chest xray=0.02, and an aircrew member 4-9/yr, for comparison. It is hard to tell how many pet can be safely done--if you need it and the benefit outweights the risk, it does not matter how many. Talk to your doc/oncologist/radiologist--they know your case best. Good luck.

Depends: As a radiologist we kive by the alara rule( as little radiation as reasonable / needed/required ) . With all radiation, we try to minimize a patient's exposure but sometimes we need perform more tests than we would ideally like to, so that we can correctly diagnose the patients problem. It is always a decision of the cost of radiation vs. The benefit to the patient.

As few as needed: All tests should only be performed when medically necessary, and when the results will help make a decision about treatment, that is true for blood tests as well as pet/ct scans and everything in between. With radiation (including pet/ct) there is a very low but not zero risk from the test itself. Also, generally, physiology/metabolism does not change that fast. So, get a pet/ct only when need.

Depends: Radiation received from pet ct is relatively high compared to other imaging tests. Pet ct is mainly used for demonstrating metastatic disease, making decisions about effect of therapy, and looking for recurrence.Pet ct has helped prolong life because it can detect small lesions not seen by other tests. Wise decision should be made judging radiation risk versus positive benefit to the patient.