If cancer was detected on a CT scan I would have been contacted by now?

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I had a CT scan for suspected pancreatic cancer on Friday. It was a routine scan, not a pathway scan (clerical error but the scan was booked quickly due to a cancellation).

I’m not particularly worried as it is rare in my age group (I’m 35), but I assume if something suspicious was flagged, I would have heard by now?

We are due to go on holiday (uk) next week and would prefer to have been given the all clear.

I don't know, bumping for you.
If your worried ask doctor to prescribe something to calm you for holiday

Did they tell you after the scan when to expect your results?

Your scans will need to be interpreted and the Easter holidays may mean there's a delay in doing this regardless of whether anything is found or not.

I used to get the results of non-urgent CT scans a couple of weeks later at my clinic appointment.

I hope you get good news

just make sure you have informed travel insurance you are swinging investigative results

Sorry to say this, but I think it is very unlikely that you would have got scan results over a normal weekend, let alone an Easter weekend. It's unlikely that consultants would even have been working over the weekend. I would assume that you'd hear Tuesday at the absolute earliest. I hope the results are good.

I’ve had several CT scans over the years - I’m pretty sure they told me that a report would be written up and sent to referring consultant/doctor and to expect to wait 10 -14 days for results.
Ive only had clear scans though, so I’m not sure if that applies if they find something.

Don't know for pancreatic but 1 to 2 weeks for breast. Though was told on initial meeting would be cancer.

A scan by itself cannot detect cancer. It can flag up something they want to investigate further. I have stage 3 melanoma that spread to my lymph nodes. They didn’t call me with results of the scan or of the biopsy (we already knew I had cancer but the scan and needle biopsy was to see if the lump in my lymph node was cancer). It was discussed with me at my next consultant appointment.

Even when I was initially diagnosed, I was told f2f while I was at the hospital having my incision checked. They whisked me into a private room after my scheduled appointment and I had 2 nurses take me through the biopsy and next steps. Generally, I don’t think you’d usually be told over the phone and definitely not before confirmed by biopsy.

Do you have your next appointment scheduled? I would assume they would discuss findings there and next steps. I have had a pancreatic CT scan (unrelated to my cancer, was years before). If they are concerned, things will move quickly. In both cases, I had a consultant appointment within 1-2 weeks. With my actual cancer, I was in surgery 3 weeks later. They moved quickly when they needed to. But 1-2 weeks if you are actually on the 2 week pathway would be the norm. Longer though if they don’t suspect cancer. Are you actually on the 2 week pathway because pancreatic cancer is suspected or you are just worried about it?

Yes this is likely the case. I’d say it was doubtful anyone has even looked at your imaging yet, apart from the radiographer. I imagine it’ll be looked at on Tuesday at the earliest.

I’m sorry to say this but no - it will take a good few days for someone to check your scan results and write up a report.

I would say no. A close family member waited three weeks after having a scan and biopsy on the same day to be told they had cancer.

My DH had a scan on his kidneys then a cystoscopy last week. He was told both times by the person performing the investigations that there were no signs of cancer, but that his Gp would receive a report this week.

No - the scan often takes a few days to be reported and would definitely not have been reported over a bank holiday weekend.

The report will go to the doctor who requested it - they should see it within a week and they will then make a plan to notify you of the result which may be discussed at next MDT ( usually weekly ) and usually would need further investigations such as a capsule endoscopy or Endoscopy to investigate further.

You could contact the consultant’s secretary , explain the situation and ask them to chase the result for you. I would leave until Wednesday at least though. Not reasonable to hastle the doctor on their first day back after the bank holiday weekend . The alternative is just to try and enjoy the holiday with a no news is good news outlook.

Took nearly 4 weeks for my Dad to get all of his results, and he had incurable liver cancer. It was incredibly slow and frustrating.

I think it took a week and a half for my consultant to phone me and tell me they’d found a potentially cancerous lump on my CT scan. The CT scan wasn’t to check for cancer though it was an incidental find. However I then had to be referred on the 2WW pathway to have further scans and biopsies done to see if it actually was cancerous, as they can’t tell much from CT except that there’s a lump

Thanks everyone. I had assumed if the technician had picked anything up then it would have been sent to be reported on by now, but it seems not.

I’m not worried so I’ll just give it a few weeks to see if my results come in.

Generally speaking, the technician who does the scan isn’t the one writing up the report. And then once the report is written, your doctor needs to interpret it in the context of everything else going on.

If it’s GP who ordered it (unusual if they actually suspect cancer, it may pop up on your NHS app), but it won’t if it’s the hospital consultant except if they write the GP a letter.

I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to ring the consultant’s secretary in the next few days to ask about plans for a follow up appointment if you don’t already have one scheduled. If you get new bothersome symptoms, report those too. I made myself quite a squeaky wheel to get my biopsy and imaging results moved along.

So your had a CT scan for suspected pancreatic cancer but were not on the 2 week pathway?

I'm not sure how the fact it was a "normal" CT scan would affect how quickly it's looked at? Surely the 2 week pathway is what speeds up the whole process?

Try not to let it spoil your trip, as you say you are low risk so I'm hopefully everything will be fine.