CT may help detect some types of colon cancer spread, but not all.
CT can help detect colon cancer tumor invasion beyond the bowel wall, but not so much with detection of nodal involvement, according to a study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.
Researchers from the Netherlands sought to determine the accuracy of CT in the detection of tumor invasion beyond the bowel wall and nodal involvement of colon carcinomas. "Detecting nodal involvement with CT is unreliable," Elias Nerad, MD, radiologist at Catharina Hospital Eindhoven and researcher at Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam, said in a release. "The use of thin slices improved the detection of tumor invasion beyond the bowel wall, as well as the detection of malignant lymph nodes, and is therefore advocated. Also, evidence suggests that CT colonography improves the accuracy of CT in the local staging of colon tumors, which could have a major clinical effect if neoadjuvant chemotherapy is adopted in the treatment of colon cancer."
The researchers performed a literature search to identify studies describing the accuracy of CT in the staging of colon carcinomas. Studies including rectal carcinomas that were inseparable from colon carcinomas were excluded. Thirteen studies were identified.
The results showed pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratios (ORs) for detection:
Two studies using CT colonography were included with sensitivity and specificity of 97% and 81%, respectively, for detecting T3–T4 tumors. The researchers wrote that CT had good sensitivity for the detection of T3–T4 tumors, and evidence suggested that CT colonography increases its accuracy. Discriminating between T1–T3ab and T3cd–T4 cancer was challenging, but data were limited.
Can Polyenergetic Reconstruction Help Resolve Streak Artifacts in Photon Counting CT?
July 22nd 2024New research looking at photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) demonstrated significantly reduced variation and tracheal air density attenuation with polyenergetic reconstruction in contrast to monoenergetic reconstruction on chest CT.
Systematic Review: PET/MRI May be More Advantageous than PET/CT in Cancer Imaging
July 18th 2024While PET/MRI and PET/CT had comparable sensitivity for patient-level regional nodal metastases and lesion-level recurrence, the authors of a systematic review noted that PET/MRI had significantly higher accuracy in breast cancer and colorectal cancer staging.
The Reading Room: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Cancer Screenings, and COVID-19
November 3rd 2020In this podcast episode, Dr. Shalom Kalnicki, from Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses the disparities minority patients face with cancer screenings and what can be done to increase access during the pandemic.
FDA Clears Enhanced Mobile CT System with High-Resolution Photon-Counting Technology
July 15th 2024Photon-counting CT-optimized features with the OmniTom Elite system include 30 cm field of view scanning, continuous spiral scanning, and an ultra-high-resolution capability of 0.141 mm resolution.