Shikha Gupta MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

1) Discuss the role of PET/CT in the staging and follow up of common gastrointestinal tumors like colon adenocarcinoma. 2) Evaluate the role of PET/CT in gynecologic malignancies. 3) Discuss the importance of PET/CT in determination of early response in gastrointestinal stromal tumors. 4) Discuss the role of PET/CT in evaluation of select renal and prostate malignancies. 5) Be familiar with limitations of PET imaging in evaluating certain conditions like malignant ascites, peritoneal and omental metastasis and the importance of careful evaluation of CT findings in addition to the FDG PET image.

PET/CT has increasingly become the modality of choice for initial evaluation and follow up of patients with many gastrointestinal cancers including colorectal, esophageal and gastric cancer, pancreatic adenocarcinoma and hepatobiliary malignancies. Unlike the conventional radiologic modalities, change in FDG uptake can help identify responders even 4 to 5 weeks after chemotherapy for most cancers and much earlier for the gastrointestinal stromal tumors. PET/CT can also aid in the evaluation of indeterminate lesions like lung nodules, hepatic masses and lymph nodes. While the role of FDG PET in renal, prostate and bladder cancer is still being defined, it has a high positive predictive value and can be used for evaluation of lesions seen on other conventional imaging. In gynecological cancers PET/CT is predominantly used for patients with locally advanced disease or suspected recurrence. PET is also being increasingly incorporated into radiotherapy planning for dose delineation and modification according to metabolic activity.

Gupta, S, Case-based Review of Nuclear Medicine: PET/CT Workshop—Cancers of the Abdomen and Pelvis (In Conjunction with SNMMI) (An Interactive Session)  .  Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14006231.html