Positron emission tomography/computed tomography for optimized colon cancer staging and follow-up.

408 Background: Optimal management of colon cancer requires detailed assessment of extent of disease. Diagnostic accuracy of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/ computed tomography (PET/CT) in primary colon cancer staging and for detection of recurrence was investigated. Methods: PET/CT for preoperative staging was performed on 66 prospectively included patients with primary colon cancer. Diagnostic accuracy for PET/CT and CT alone was analysed. Forty-two stage I-III colon cancer patients had PET/CT follow-up examinations every six months for two years. Serological levels of Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases (TIMP-1), Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA), and liberated domain I of urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor [uPAR(I)] and FDG-uptake related tumour gene expression were analysed. Results: Accuracy for T-, N- and M-staging by PET/CT were 82 % [95% Confidence Interval (CI) 70; 91], 66 % [CI 51; 78] and 89 % [CI 79; 96]; for CT 77 % [CI 64; 87], 60 % [CI 46; 73] and 69 % [CI ...