Abstract
Background & AimsThere is no agreement as to whether F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) screening for advanced colorectal neoplasms is meaningful. This retrospective study was undertaken to determine whether FDG PET/CT may be a valuable screening tool for the detection of advanced colorectal neoplasms.MethodsA retrospective review of the records of 1,109 FDG PET/CT scans acquired from January 2007 to December 2011 was performed. Colonoscopy and FDG PET/CT imaging were performed within two days of each other. The results of colonoscopy were taken as the gold standard, either with or without the results of the histopathological examination. An advanced neoplasm was defined as the presence of a malignant tumor, an adenoma ≥1 cm, or histological evidence of high-grade dysplasia or significant villous components.ResultsA total of 36 subjects had advanced colorectal neoplasms detected by colonoscopy (totaling 38 neoplasms). Six of the 38 neoplasms were also detected by FDG PET/CT. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and overall accuracy of FDG PET/CT in the detection of advanced colorectal neoplasms were 15.8% (6/38), 99.1% (1063/1073), 37.5% (6/16), 97.1% (1063/1095), and 96.2% (1069/1111) respectively. The presence of lesions with an endoscopic size ≤1.5 cm (P<0.001) and low-grade dysplasia (P<0.001) were the main predictors of false-negative FDG PET/CT findings.ConclusionsWe conclude that FDG PET/CT screening of advanced colorectal neoplasms is unwarranted, especially in the presence of lesions with an endoscopic size ≤1.5 cm or low-grade dysplasia.
Highlights
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignant neoplasm worldwide and one of the most frequent cause of cancerrelated death [1]
Among the 1,109 participants, colonoscopy detected a total of 284 non-advanced adenomatous polyps in 193 men and 91 women
Among the 317 adenomas, 10 (3.2%) were diagnosed by endoscopy with narrow band imaging (NBI) instead of the pathological results
Summary
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignant neoplasm worldwide and one of the most frequent cause of cancerrelated death [1]. Advanced colorectal neoplasms include advanced adenomas (adenomas $1 cm or containing high-grade dysplasia or significant villous component) and malignant tumors, which are the main target lesions of CRC screening [2]. The dwell time of a benign adenoma to its transformation into a CRC has been projected to be approximately 5–10 years [4]. There is no agreement as to whether F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) screening for advanced colorectal neoplasms is meaningful. This retrospective study was undertaken to determine whether FDG PET/CT may be a valuable screening tool for the detection of advanced colorectal neoplasms
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