Positron emission tomography and colorectal cancer

Background: The oncological applications of positron emission tomography (P ET) have gained widespread acceptance. This rapidly evolving technology has been applied successfully to colorectal cancer, but has not yet become par t of routine clinical practice. This review considers (1) the biological ba sis for the use of PET in colorectal cancer, (2) the technical aspects of P ET relevant to the referring clinician and (3) the application of PET to th e management of primary and recurrent disease. Methods: A Medline database search was performed for the period 1980-2000. Experience was also drawn from the first 40 patients with colorectal cancer investigated at this institution. Results and conclusions: PET has a proven role, and is cost effective in th e management of recurrent cancer and the monitoring of therapy. However, fu rther evaluation is still required to justify its routine use for other ind ications in colorectal cancer. Development of new positron-labelled radio-p harmaceuticals, in parallel with advances in detector technology and innova tive models for tracer production and distribution, means that the availabi lity of PET and its applications in the management of colorectal cancer wil l expand over the coming years.