On a scan report
SUVmax (PET-CT)
Also written as SUV, SUVmax, SUV max, FDG avid, FDG uptake, Standardised uptake value
What it means
A PET scan uses a radioactive sugar called FDG. Active cancer cells take up more FDG, so they show up brighter. SUVmax is the highest uptake value measured in a lesion, in numbers.
Why it matters
Doctors can use SUVmax to measure how a lesion responds during treatment. Other conditions can also take up FDG, so your oncologist reads it with other results.
Ask your oncologist
"What does the SUVmax on my scan tell you, and will we compare it after treatment?"
From Royal College of Radiologists: Recommendations for cross-sectional imaging in cancer management, PET-CT and Cancer Research UK: PET scan. Not medical advice: your oncologist decides.