title: Feasibility of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography for preoperative evaluation of biliary tract cancer.
abstract: (18)F-Labeled fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography (FDG-PET), a rapidly evolving functional imaging modality, has recently been shown to be useful in the diagnosis and staging of various malignant tumors due to focal uptake of FDG-labeled glucose in malignant cell populations. However, the role of FDG-PET in the diagnosis and staging of biliary tract cancer is still controversial and has not yet been fully evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical importance of FDG-PET in the preoperative evaluation of biliary tract cancer and retrospectively clarify the characteristics of false-negative and false-positive cases. We retrospectively analyzed data for 73 consecutive patients diagnosed with cancer of the biliary tract and were admitted to the Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery at Kobe University Hospital for treatment, from January 2007 to August 2009. Since the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) of FDG-PET in the diagnosis of bile duct carcinoma are usually relatively high, FDG-PET is considered to be a useful tool in diagnosing biliary tract cancer. FDG-PET also seems to be useful in clinical decision-making, regarding treatment strategy, including surgery. Our results showed that FDG-PET is highly sensitive in delineating the primary focus of biliary cancer and is a useful tool in preoperative examination. A disadvantage of FDG-PET is its inability to indicate small metastases and false-positive findings of inflamed gallbladder and bile duct lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. sur85099@hyo-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Isamu
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ajiki
authors.forename: Kimihiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Hidehiro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sawa
authors.forename: Izuru
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Otsubo
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shinzeki
authors.forename: Hirochika
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toyama
authors.forename: Ippei
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukumoto
authors.forename: Atsunori
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakao
authors.forename: Joji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kotani
authors.forename: Yonson
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ku
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001661:Biliary Tract Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D011300:Preoperative Care; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18