In a patient with an N+ anal cancer on pre-treatment PET, should a PET scan be repeated in follow-up?

To answer the question directly asked, yes, I do. I find it to be valuable for treatment response, as outcome correlates with response. Personally, sometimes although test results may not be actionable (i.e. will not likely change immediate management), the "boost" a patient gets from knowing they a...

For most solid tumors (e.g., lung, cervix, esophagus, head and neck), PET CT changes staging in some, alters management plan in some, and is also prognostic with anal cancer being no exception and for that reason, we routinely do PET CT.

I have never ordered a PET scan for an anal cancer patient. If it happened to be ordered by someone else, I would not order another one. CT imaging is all that is needed. PET adds false positives and is not more sensitive than CT. All enlarged nodes >5mm should be boosted. If a node is not PET avid,...