Mayo Clinic's approach

Collaboration

Mayo Clinic radiologists work with your health care provider to help develop the most appropriate treatment plan for you.

State-of-the-art technology

Mayo Clinic campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota have state-of-the-art PET scanners. Some of the machines are combined PET and CT scanners, which yield enhanced images. Mayo Clinic also combines PET and MRI scans in some situations.

Innovation

Mayo Clinic was the first institution approved by the Food and Drug Administration to produce an imaging agent (Choline C-11) that helps detect recurrences of prostate cancer, often before they can be detected by any other means. Mayo Clinic uses this agent during PET/CT scans.

Expertise and rankings

Experience

Mayo Clinic's highly specialized radiology teams perform and interpret nearly 20,000 PET scans each year. This large number of cases, integrated with ongoing research and education, results in broad expertise in the imaging and treatment of diseases affecting people of all ages.

Advanced diagnosis for prostate cancer

Mayo Clinic developed a technology to pinpoint prostate cancers that recur after treatment. Called Choline C-11 PET scan, this test is available at Mayo Clinic to men with recurrent or difficult-to-treat prostate cancer.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for cancer by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is ranked as the top hospital in Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, is ranked as the top hospital in Arizona, and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, is ranked the top hospital in Florida.

Locations, travel and lodging

Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.

For more information on visiting Mayo Clinic, choose your location below:

Costs and insurance

Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people.

In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. All appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need.

Learn more about appointments at Mayo Clinic.

Please contact your insurance company to verify medical coverage and to obtain any needed authorization prior to your visit. Often, your insurer's customer service number is printed on the back of your insurance card.

More information about billing and insurance:

Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota

Mayo Clinic Health System

Clinical trials

Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions.

April 18, 2023
  1. Positron emission tomography — Computed tomography (PET/CT). Radiological Society of North America. https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=PET. Accessed April 6, 2021.
  2. What is PET? Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. https://www.snmmi.org/AboutSNMMI/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=5649. Accessed April 6, 2021.
  3. Umterrainer M, et al. Recent advances of PET imaging in clinical radiation oncology. Radiation Oncology. 2020; doi:10.1186/s13014-020-01519-1.
  4. Adam A, et al., eds. Adrenal imaging. In: Grainger and Allison's Diagnostic Radiology. 7th ed. Elsevier; 2021. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed April 6, 2021.
  5. ACR-SPR practice parameters for performing FDG-PET/CT in oncology. American College of Radiology. https://www.acr.org/Clinical-Resources/Practice-Parameters-and-Technical-Standards/Practice-Parameters-by-Modality. Accessed April 6, 2021.
  6. Cervical cancer. Radiological Society of North America. https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=cervicalcancer. Accessed April 8, 2021.
  7. Morrow ES. Allscripts EPSi. Mayo Clinic. April 6, 2021.
  8. Collins DA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. April 24, 2021.

Positron emission tomography scan