Authors:
C. N. Patel, R. Briggs, F. U. Chowdhury, A. F. Scarsbrook; Leeds/UK
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2010/C-0251
Purpose
BACKGROUND
Tumours of the hepatobiliary system comprise a heterogeneous group of malignant lesions including primary and secondary liver tumours, cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder carcinoma
A variety of imaging modalities are available to image these tumours including ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and more invasive techniques like endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC).
Functional imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) using 18Fluorine-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) allows assessment of the metabolic activity of these tumours. Integrated PET/CT, combining functional and anatomic imaging, has been increasing used for the assessment of hepatobiliary tumours [1,2].
FDG PET/CT can be useful in the assessment of hepatobiliary malignancy for:
- Early detection of tumours
- Differentiation of malignant from benign tumours (lesion characterisation)
- Staging for potential tumour resection including detection of metastases to regional lymph nodes and distant sites
- Assessment of therapeutic response
PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical impact of FDG PET/CT in the staging and management of patients with potentially-resectable primary and secondary hepatobiliary malignancies.