The role of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of cholangiocarcinoma.
(18)F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ((18)FDG-PET) is a new diagnostic technique for the diagnosis and staging of cholangiocarcinoma. For diagnosis of a primary cholangiocarcinoma, (18)FDG-PET seems to be helpful to discriminate between malignant and benign lesions. However, the accuracy of (18)FDG-PET seems to be dependent on the anatomic location, growth pattern, and pathologic characteristics of the lesion. It has been proved that the accuracy of (18)FDG-PET is limited to detection of extrahepatic, infiltrating, and mucinous cholangiocarcinomas. Due to its lower sensitivity, (18)FDG-PET provides complementary rather than confirmative information in the diagnosis of regional lymph node metastasis. In contrast, it has high accuracy in detecting unsuspected distant metastases. The role of (18)FDG-PET in detecting cancer recurrence, monitoring treatment response, and predicting prognosis is still controversial.
Moon
Chang Mo
CM
Department of Internal Medicine, Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 120-752, Republic of Korea.
Bang
Seungmin
S
Chung
Jae Bock
JB
D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D011379:Prognosis; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18