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. 2022 Sep;66(6):749-754.
doi: 10.1111/1754-9485.13338. Epub 2021 Oct 5.

Clinically significant findings in patients with focal incidental colorectal abnormalities on positron emission tomography-CT scans

Amit K Dutta  1   2 , Rosalind Mitchell-Hay  3 , Gabriella Baio  4 , Perminder S Phull  1
Affiliations

Clinically significant findings in patients with focal incidental colorectal abnormalities on positron emission tomography-CT scans

Amit K Dutta et al. J Med Imaging Radiat Oncol. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine the clinical significance of focal incidentally detected colorectal abnormalities on 18 F- Fluoro-2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (FDG) PET-CT scans.

Methods: Retrospective audit of PET-CT scans performed at our institution between 2009 and 2014. Demographic and clinical details were retrieved from electronic patient records. An advanced adenoma was defined as: ≥1 cm in size, tubullo-villous histology, or displaying high grade dysplasia. A high-risk lesion (HRL) was defined as an advanced adenoma or colorectal cancer (CRC).

Results: Of the 1911 PET-CT eligible scans, focal incidental colorectal FDG uptake was detected in 99 (5.2%) patients. Colonoscopy was undertaken in 43 (43.4%) patients and 45 FDG-avid sites were evaluated. The commonest site of abnormal FDG uptake was the rectosigmoid region, with 34 (75.6%) of the 45 foci being located in this area. Overall, 23 (53.5%) of these patients had clinically significant pathology. Of the 45 focal PET-CT abnormalities evaluated, 17 (37.8%) were adenomas, of which 11 (24.4%) were advanced adenomas, and six (13.3%) were cancers, with a total of 17 (37.8%) HRLs. Five of the six patients with CRC underwent surgical resection, whilst one had endoscopic resection. The overall survival for the entire cohort was 18 months (range 1-72 months) with those that underwent colonoscopy having higher overall survival compared to those that did not (38 vs. 13.5 months).

Conclusion: Incidental colorectal abnormalities on PET-CT scans are often clinically significant. However, careful selection for colonoscopy is important due to the poor survival in these patients related to the underlying primary malignancy.

Keywords: PET-CT; adenoma; colonoscopy; colorectal cancer.

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