The value of PET/CT in the diagnosis, stading and monitoring of colorectal cancer

The purpose of the study was to provide up-to-date data on the efficacy of positron emission computed tomography (PET) for the diagnosis, assessment of tumor extension and monitoring of colorectal cancer. Material and Methods. The Medline and Pubmed databases were used for searching for publications devoted to clinical trials of diagnostic value of PET with 18F-Ftordesoxyglucose (PET with 18F-FDG). Results. Data on the value of PET with 18F-FDG in visualization of the primary tumor, detection of lymph node and distant metastases and assessment of the treatment response in patients with colorectal cancer were presented. Conclusion. PET with 18F-FDG was shown to be a promising imaging method for colorectal cancer. It is the most sensitive method in the detection of liver metastases. 18F-FDG PET is particularly superior to CT and MET in the ability to assess tumor response to treatment and predict early tumor response to therapy. The development of new radiopharmaceuticals for the diagnosis, staging, monitoring and prediction of colorectal cancer is of great importance.