Pet scans

aussTex

I’ve had two primary cancers, breast and now s4 lung cancer requiring quarterly ct or pet scans. After about a year of an area in my colon showing persistent focal uptake, my oncologist insisted I have a colonoscopy. Thankfully it was only an advanced precancer, 1.1 cm tubulovillious, fully resected, clear margins, but the colon oncologist said if i had waited six more months I would have had a primary colon cancer. My only symptoms that disappeared a week after were intense bloating and mucous in diarrhea. 11 weeks later I had my routine pet scan which again showed uptake, higher than last time (was 12.1 now 16.4). Colon oncologist said it’s probably an inflammatory response to the removal, and that he didn’t miss anything, and even gave me pictures of the poly, etc. But my colonoscopy went much longer than expected, and he told my family is was difficult because I have a redundant colon, so it took longer and more staff to help move and reposition me so they could get all the imaging. In fact, somehow they blew the vein my iv was in, and I woke up during, then they accessed a vein in my foot for the remainder of the procedure. He said not to worry about it, that if my next pet scan still shows activity there he can do another colonoscopy. My next scan is mid January.

I’ve heard colon cancer is slow growing, so if somehow something was left behind it wouldn’t be growing like crazy. I’m not concerned they didn’t get it all, but that they missed another one because of the rolling, repositioning and waking going on. Has anyone here had pet or ct scans after a polypectomy??? Does anyone else have an extra long colon? What SUV is considered concerning in the colon? Why would a precancer have such a high SUV??? My lung cancer was stage 4 but only had an SUV of 4.7! Any insight at all would be helpful!

sgold88

I wouldn't take too much stock in the SUV value in every case. While certainly, as with CEA values, SUV does a decent job at indicating something potentially problematic, my wife had an SUV value of over 4 and which led us to go through significant surgeries (including HIPEC), and the final analysis is that it was benign…due to pre-surgical reasons which caused an inflammatory response to the area, which led to the elevated SUV uptake (SUV uptake can be the result of inflammation and/or cancer, not to mention pneumonia and other common non-lethal diseases). Have a read of the following summary of a study done years ago which should help ease your fears a bit;

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16365730/

williamaurthur

I'm really sorry to hear about your health journey, but it sounds like you're being proactive and staying on top of things with your scans and procedures. Regarding the high SUV (Standardized Uptake Value) in the colon, it's important to note that inflammation or recent surgery can cause elevated SUV readings, which might explain the increased uptake after your polypectomy. The colonoscopy being longer due to the redundant colon could also contribute to some discomfort, but it’s great that the procedure was thorough and your oncologist is confident in the results.

Colon cancer is generally slow-growing, so if there was anything left behind, it wouldn’t likely spread rapidly. That said, follow-up scans are crucial, and it’s good you’re keeping an eye on it. As for the SUV levels, anything over 2.5–3 is typically worth monitoring, but each case can vary. Your lung cancer’s lower SUV doesn’t necessarily compare directly to colon tissue, as different cancers have different metabolic behaviors.

Keep working closely with your medical team and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have concerns. As a side note, with essentials Black Friday sale coming up, if you're interested, it could be a good time to check out essentials like health monitors, supplements, or other wellness items that can support you in your journey. Stay strong!