Application of modern imaging methods in diagnosis of gallbladder cancer.
The poor prognosis of gallbladder cancer (GBC) is related to its dissemination capacity and usually late diagnosis due to its non-specific clinical appearance. Recent improvements in hepatobiliary surgery have underlined the importance of an early specific diagnosis, which requires a multidisciplinary approach and, when possible, specialized equipment. The first step in an early diagnosis is to identify patients in the appropriate epidemiological setting (e.g., incidental finding, chronic cholecystitis) for the correct interpretation of test results. It is desirable to enhance the sensitivity of the initial ultrasound (US) examination by use of the appropriate technology in skilled specialist hands. When GBC is suggested by US findings, FDG-PET can be considered complementary to establish the benign/malignant nature of the lesion and to obtain a primary staging study. If GBC is confirmed, thin slice spiral CT can contribute valuable information on local spread. In this regard, recent hybrid PET-CT systems provide structural and functional information simultaneously and may offer early and accurate T, N, and M staging with an improved specificity.
Rodríguez-Fernández
Antonio
A
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, Granada, Spain. Antonio.Rodriguez.f.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es
Gómez-Río
Manuel
M
Medina-Benítez
Antonio
A
Moral
Jesús Villar-Del
JV
Ramos-Font
Carlos
C
Ramia-Angel
José Manuel
JM
Llamas-Elvira
José Manuel
JM
Ferrón-Orihuela
Jose Antonio
JA
Lardelli-Claret
Pablo
P
D002763:Cholecystectomy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011127:Polyps / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011379:Prognosis; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18