[Differential after care for early detection of recurrence from the radiologic viewpoint]

Diagnostic imaging plays only a minor role in the followup of local recurrencies in tumor patients. Patient history, clinical and biochemical findings as well as endoscopy are more important. The diagnosis of lymph node and other metastasis, however, requires imaging procedures. Although metastasis can be diagnosed earlier nowadays, they must still have a macroscopic size to be detected. Accuracy of the diagnostic procedures depends on the chosen "golden standard". The higher the standard, the more unreliable are imaging procedures which depending on tumor type and site of metastasis are reduced to accuracy rates of below 50%.