{"entity":{"id":"total-body-pet-screening","kind":"technology","name":"Total-body PET for screening and ultra-low-dose imaging","aka":[],"tldr":"Scanners sensitive enough to image the whole body in seconds at a fraction of the radiation dose, which raises the question of whether healthy people should be scanned at all.","summary":"Total-body PET systems capture the entire body in one field of view with roughly forty times the sensitivity of conventional scanners, enabling minute-long scans, tracer doses a fraction of the usual, and dynamic whole-body kinetics. That makes asymptomatic screening technically conceivable for the first time, but there is no evidence of mortality benefit, and incidentalomas, cost and radiation argue against it. The near-term value is in dosimetry, paediatrics and pharmacokinetic research.","status":"concept","asOf":"2026-09-08","links":[{"label":"ClinicalTrials.gov: total-body PET","url":"https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?term=total-body%20PET"}],"tags":["frontier"],"related":[],"indications":[],"sections":[],"technologies":["pet-ct","pet"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":["united-imaging","siemens-healthineers"],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":["dosimetry"],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"A long axial field-of-view detector ring captures far more of the emitted photons, letting sensitivity be traded for dose, time, or both.","strengths":["Ultra-low-dose or ultra-fast scans","Whole-body kinetic modelling for radioligand dosimetry","Better paediatric and repeat imaging"],"limitations":["No screening evidence and likely overdiagnosis","Scanner cost limits access","Tracer supply and reimbursement"]},"route":"/technologies/total-body-pet-screening/","neighbours":{"technology":[{"id":"pet","kind":"technology","name":"PET (positron emission tomography)","route":"/technologies/pet/"},{"id":"pet-ct","kind":"technology","name":"PET/CT","route":"/technologies/pet-ct/"}],"company":[{"id":"siemens-healthineers","kind":"company","name":"Siemens Healthineers","route":"/companies/siemens-healthineers/"},{"id":"united-imaging","kind":"company","name":"United Imaging","route":"/companies/united-imaging/"}],"term":[{"id":"dosimetry","kind":"term","name":"Dosimetry","route":"/terms/dosimetry/"},{"id":"time-of-flight-pet","kind":"term","name":"Time-of-flight (TOF) PET","route":"/terms/time-of-flight-pet/"}],"section":[{"id":"f-molecular-imaging","kind":"section","name":"Molecular imaging","route":"/fronts/f-molecular-imaging/"}],"idea":[{"id":"idea-total-body-pet-lower-dose-tracers","kind":"idea","name":"Using total-body PET's sensitivity to cut diagnostic tracer dose, not just scan time","route":"/ideas/idea-total-body-pet-lower-dose-tracers/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"dosimetry-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Dosimetry roadmap: MIRD schema → fixed dosing → personalised, image-based dose","route":"/roadmaps/dosimetry-roadmap/"}]}}