Positron emission tomography in hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancies: a review

• Published in: The American journal of surgery Vol. 204; no. 2; pp. 232 - 241
• Main Authors: Lan, Billy Y., Kwee, Sandi A., Wong, Linda L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.08.2012; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Ablation; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - diagnostic imaging; Cholangiocarcinoma - diagnostic imaging; Digestive System Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Gallbladder carcinoma; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; General aspects; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Humans; Liver. Biliary tract. Portal circulation. Exocrine pancreas; Lymph Nodes - diagnostic imaging; Lymphatic system; Medical imaging; Medical prognosis; Medical sciences; Metastasis; Neoplasm Metastasis - diagnostic imaging; Pancreatic cancer; Positron emission tomography; Radiopharmaceuticals; Sensitivity and Specificity; Surgery; Tumors; United States > US; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Positron emission tomography; Pancreatic cancer; Gallbladder carcinoma; Radionuclide study; Digestive system; Hepatic disease; Malignancy; Review; Malignant tumor; Medicine; Liver cancer; Hepatobiliary; Treatment; Surgery; Pancreas cancer; Digestive diseases; Gallbladder; Pancreas; Bibliographic review; Cancer; Pancreatic disease; Emission tomography
• ISSN: 0002-9610; 1879-1883; 1879-1883
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2011.07.025

The prognosis for hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancies is dismal. Surgery remains the primary curative option, but unresectable disease is often discovered during operative exploration. Positron emission tomography (PET) provides unique biological information different from current imaging modalities. The role of PET in detecting hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancies has not yet been established. The purpose of this article was to review the literature on the use of PET in hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancies. We performed an extensive search on PubMed using PET and hepatocellular, pancreatic, gallbladder, and cholangiocarcinoma as keywords, excluding articles not written in English or on nonhuman subjects, case reports, and series with <5 patients. Although PET has shown usefulness in the diagnosis of certain cancers, current literature cautions against the use of PET for determining malignant potential of primary liver and pancreatic lesions. Literature on PET more strongly supports clinical roles for restaging of hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancies, and for identifying metastatic disease.