Efficacy of PET/CT in the accurate evaluation of primary colorectal carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
This study was performed to assess in the accurate evaluation of primary colorectal carcinoma using PET/CT.


METHODS
One hundred patients with primary colorectal carcinoma were evaluated during 2004. All patients underwent PET/CT when their preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen was >or=10 ng/mL or when CT showed equivocal findings. The appropriateness of PET/CT-induced changes was noted by subsequent operative findings and follow-up.


RESULTS
PET/CT more detected 15 intra-abdominal metastatic lesions than abdomino-pelvic CT scan. PET/CT showed true negative findings in 13 patients and false positive or negative findings in 10. Due to PET/CT results, management plans were altered in 27 patients; 9 had inter-modality changes, 10 received more extensive surgery, and 8 avoided unnecessary procedures.


CONCLUSIONS
PET/CT altered management plan in 24% of patients with primary colorectal carcinoma in correct direction. These findings suggest that PET/CT should be considered a part of standard work up for preoperative evaluation in a subset of patients with colorectal carcinoma.
Park
I J
IJ
DongGuk University Hospital, Digestive Disease Center, Department of Surgery, Goyang, South Korea.
Kim
H C
HC
Yu
C S
CS
Ryu
M H
MH
Chang
H M
HM
Kim
J H
JH
Ryu
J S
JS
Yeo
J S
JS
Kim
J C
JC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18