CT colonography tops optical in cancer segment maps

CT colonography can pinpoint cancerous colorectal segments more accurately than colonoscopy, according to Italian investigators. They say virtual, not optical, colonoscopy should be the gold standard for the preoperative staging of colorectal cancer.

Principal investigator Dr. Emanuele Neri and colleagues at the University of Pisa enrolled 65 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer who underwent segmental localization of their tumors with colonoscopy and CTC before surgery. CTC allowed a complete evaluation in all but two cases, where an obstructing lesion of the sigmoid prevented proper cleansing and insufflation. CTC accurately identified all diseased segments while colonoscopy missed 24% of them.

CTC's sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for precise location of colonic masses were, respectively, 100%, 96%, 85%, and 100%. Results appeared online in the Sept. 18 issue of Abdominal Imaging.