الفهرس 
AnatomyOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the world. It is estimated that up to 40 % of patients will present with recurrence after surgical resection of the primary tumor, often within 2 years. Imaging plays an important role in the postoperative assessment of recurrence. Most guidelines recommend computed tomography (CT) at regular intervals (12 and 36 months postoperatively) as well as upon clinical suspicion
Assessment of therapeutic response to pre-operative chemotherapy is becoming fundamental practice in order to decide the best chemotherapy protocol or when to go for surgical treatment. Conventional CT and MRI only offer anatomical and morphological mapping of of the tumors with no information about the metabolic activity. Lately, PET imaging for tumor staging and monitoring therapy response has been introduced. PET imaging only provides physiologic information on glucose uptake and metabolism, the main downside to PET imaging in tumors is the lack of accurate anatomical landmarks which makes localizing the lesion hard.
Combined PET/CT provides both the anatomic and metabolic imaging at the same time. It also makes separating normal physiological uptake from pathological uptake more feasable. It has higher sensitivety and specificity and reduces false-positive and false-negative imaging studies.
The objective of the following Essay is to highlight the role of PET/CT in monitoring recurrence of colorectal cancer in patients with elevated CEA levels. In addition, an overview of current surveillance recommendations will be given.