PET Imaging Method Found Effective for Accurate Diagnosis of Gall Bladder Cancer

Researchers found that a metabolic imaging diagnosis technique based on the analysis of a structural analog of glucose labeled with a positron-emitting compound (¹⁸F) allows for the early diagnosis of gall bladder cancer, a relatively rare disease with high mortality rates among most patients suffering from it.

For the purpose of this study, 62 patients were subjected to this scanning method, which represents the largest sample of patients with gall bladder cancer ever studied by applying a technology called fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). The study's researchers, from the University of Granada (UGR; Spain) and the department of nuclear medicine, Hospital Virgen de las Nieves at Granada, reported results considerably better than other structural imaging methods that enabled more accurate and appropriate diagnosis and treatment of patients, which avoids unnecessary procedures.

This study was conducted by Dr. Carlos Ramos Font and directed by Prof. Nicolás Olea Serrano (UGR), Prof. José Manuel Llamas Elvira (UGR, department of nuclear medicine, Hospital Virgen de las Nieves), and Prof. Manuel Gómez Río (department of nuclear medicine, Hospital Virgen de las Nieves).

The high mortality rate among patients with gall bladder cancer depends greatly on the lack of clinical data enabling early diagnosis of this type of tumors. This fact determines the survival of this type of patients. At the moment of establishing a diagnosis, an accurate staging will allow to choose the most appropriate treatment, as well as to optimize the use of the resources available. Imaging diagnosis of this pathology is essentially based on morphologic techniques (ultrasound, computed tomography [CT], and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]).

This new imaging diagnosis method (tomography made by emission of positrons with ¹⁸F-FDG) shows glucose metabolism in tissues. While the utility of this method has been validated in other types of tumors, its utility in gall bladder cancer had not been proven yet.

According to Granada University researchers, their study demonstrated PET scanning with FDG "is a valid and accurate method for precise staging of patients with suspected gall bladder cancer, which allows to determine the appropriate therapy and treatment, and to optimize the use of the resources available.” Therefore, the researchers suggest, "each patient with suspected cancer should be subjected to this type of imaging diagnosis, to determine the nature of such process.”

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University of Granada