ANTICARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN IMMUNOSCINTIGRAPHY WITH A TC-99M-FAB' FRAGMENT (IMMU 4(TM)) IN PRIMARY AND RECURRENT COLORECTAL-CANCER - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY

Forty-seven patients were submitted to 68 radioimmunoscintigraphic inv estigations for primary or recurrent colorectal cancer. Immunoscintigr aphy with Immu-4TM correctly detected 28 primary colorectal cancers of 29 and 12 of 12 recurrent colorectal cancers. Overall accuracy was 93 .75 percent in primary and 91.6 percent in recurrent colorectal cancer . Immunoscintigraphy had a decisive influence on treatment planning in every third primary colorectal cancer patient and was by far superior to CT scan in the detection of early recurrences, especially in patie nts with a history of abdominoperineal or low anterior resection. Immu -4TM scintigraphy is a safe and convenient diagnostic approach to colo rectal cancer. Because radioactivity is acceptably low and the method is absolutely free of side effects, there are no objections to the rep eated use of immunoscintigraphy which provides important information i n primary diagnosis as well as in the follow-up of colorectal cancer p atients.