Positron-emission tomography with fluorine-18-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose for gallbladder cancer diagnosis

Background Recent advances in hepatobiliary surgery have underscored the need for presurgical diagnosis of gallbladder cancer. Frequently, clinical presentation, biochemical analysis, and structural ultrasound or computed axial tomography images do not enable definitive differentiation of cholecystitis or cholethiasis from gallbladder cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of fludeoxy glucose–positron-emission tomography (FDG-PET) in establishing the benign or malignant nature of gallbladder lesions. Methods A case series of 16 patients with clinical symptoms suggestive of biliary colic or chronic cholecystitis and with inconclusive ultrasound and/or computed axial tomography findings for presence of gallbladder cancer were studied by FDG-PET. Results FDG-PET showed a sensitivity of 0.80, a specificity of 0.82, and positive and negative predictive values of 0.67 and 0.90, respectively. There was 1 false- negative result in 1 patient with mucinous adenocarcinoma and 2 false-positive results in 1 patient with tuberculoid granulomatous reaction and 1 patient with polypoid lesion with adenomyomatosis. Conclusions FDG-PET may be of utility to establish the diagnosis of gallbladder cancer in patients with nonspecific clinical and imaging findings.