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Application of modern imaging methods in diagnosis of gallbladder cancer
Author(s) -
RodríguezFernández Antonio,
GómezRío Manuel,
MedinaBenítez Antonio,
Moral Jesús Villardel,
RamosFont Carlos,
RamiaÁngel José Manuel,
LlamasElvira José Manuel,
FerrónOrihuela Jose Antonio,
LardelliClaret Pablo
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of surgical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.201
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1096-9098
pISSN - 0022-4790
DOI - 10.1002/jso.20533
Subject(s) - medicine , gallbladder cancer , radiology , gallbladder , acute cholecystitis , chronic cholecystitis , cancer , cholecystitis , surgery
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. J. Surg. Oncol. 2006;93:650–654. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.