FDG-PETCT versus contrast-enhanced computed tomography in diagnosis of post-therapeutic colorectal cancer recurrence and metastases

Abstract

BackgroundThis study was designed to assess the role of 18F-FDG CT was able to detect additional/CT in post-therapeutic surveillance of colorectal cancer patients as compared with contrast-enhanced CT to allow early detection of recurrent and metastatic cases amenable for curative surgery and thus improve the overall survival of patients.ResultsOf the total 100 patients, 70 proved to have metastasis or local recurrent disease by the standard reference modalities. One hundred eighty-two diseased regions were detected in these 70 patients. PET/CT was positive in 174 regions (95.6%) whereas CECT was positive in 118 regions (64.8%). PET/CT was superior to CECT in detection of hepatic focal lesions, metastatic lymph nodes, pulmonary metastases, and peritoneal and suprarenal metastases whereas both were equal in detection of osseous deposits. CECT detected four lesions that were missed by PET/CT, and these were hepatic metastases from mucinous adenocarcinoma.ConclusionPET/CT is a better method to evaluate post-therapeutic colorectal cancer patients. It detected viable residual tumor cells in operative bed scar, small LNs, hepatic focal lesions, peritoneal deposits, pulmonary masses, bone deposits, and suprarenal deposits with significantly higher specificity and sensitivity than CECT avoiding unnecessary surgeries.