title: Application of modern imaging methods in diagnosis of gallbladder cancer.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, Granada, Spain. Antonio.Rodriguez.f.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Fernández
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gómez-Río
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Medina-Benítez
authors.forename: Jesús Villar-Del
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Moral
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ramos-Font
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ramia-Angel
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Llamas-Elvira
authors.forename: Jose Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ferrón-Orihuela
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lardelli-Claret
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18