[The value of CEA immunoscintigraphy for diagnosis of colorectal cancer and its metastases: results of a prospective study].

The importance of the CEA-immunoscintigraphy (IS; BW 431/26 Fa Behring) for the diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma and its metastases was determined in a prospective trial including 60 patients. The results were compared with results of the ultrasound, the CT-Scan and the Angio-CT. Patients suffered from a colorectal carcinoma (15), from a local tumor recurrence after bowel resection (10), from hepatic (39) and/or extrahepatic metastases (16). In 40 patients the diagnosis was confirmed by laparotomy. Regarding the detection of hepatic metastases the sensitivity and specificity of the Angio-CT were superior to the IS (0.86 and 0.63 vs. 0.78 and 0.45). Ultrasound and Angio-CT together revealed true positive results in 89.2%. The IS did not improve this rate. Regarding the detection of extrahepatic metastases the sensitivity and the specificity of the CT were slightly superior to the IS (0.59 and 0.87 vs. 0.47 and 0.28). However, the IS increased the rate of true positive results by 18.8% (US + CT 43.7%; +IS 62.5% true positive results). Due to these results the IS is not recommended as the method of choice to detect liver metastases. But in patients unfit for diagnostic laparotomy the IS may give additional information of the extrahepatic tumor stage.