Accuracy of FDG-PET/CT in Colorectal Peritoneal Carcinomatosis: Potential Tool for Evaluation of Chemotherapeutic Response.

Background/aim: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be administered to patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) of colorectal cancer (CRC) origin. This study evaluated the performance of fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography (FDG-PET)/computed tomography (CT) in detection of PC from CRC and correlated the most metabolically active quadrant with the most affected peritoneal area determined during surgery.

Patients And Methods: This retrospective study compared the performance of FDG-PET/CT for PC diagnosis in 26 patients with CRC with histopathologically-confirmed PC with a control group of 26 patients. An FDG-PET/CT score established for each patient diagnosed with PC was compared with the peritoneal cancer index (PCI) performed during surgery.

Results: The sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET/CT for PC detection were 85% (22/26) and 88% (23/26), respectively. The most scored quadrant by FDG-PET/CT corresponded to the most scored quadrant at surgery in 77.3%.

Conclusion: FDG-PET/CT may represent a useful tool for evaluating response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with PC of CRC origin.