According to Korean researchers F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) can be effectively used for the postoperative surveillance of advanced renal cell cancer with advantages over conventional monitoring methods. The study was evaluated by Dr. Hyun Moo Lee of Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul and colleagues with 63 renal cell cancer patients who had a high risk of local recurrence or distant metastasis. To monitor the patients during follow-up after surgery, both conventional methods and FDG PET/CT were used. Suspicious recurrent or metastatic lesions were evaluated by histopathology or by clinical follow-up. FDG PET/CT accurately classified the presence of a recurrence or metastasis in 56 (89%) patients. FDG PET/CT had a sensitivity of 89.5% and a specificity of 83.3%. Corresponding values for conventional methods including chest radiography and abdominopelvic CT, were not significantly different (94.7% and 80.0%). The researchers observed that the results were not influenced by the nuclear grades of cancer cells. They concluded that it was possible to examine all organ systems in one procedure, and there was no need for contrast agents, that can damage renal function.