Background/purpose: It is frequently difficult to make an accurate diagnosis of the local recurrence of hilar bile duct cancer (HBC). We assessed the efficacy of fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in diagnosing the local recurrence of HBC.
Methods: Among 18 patients who had previously undergone resection of HBC, 5 were suspected of having a recurrence. These 5 patients were examined for recurrence by computed tomography (CT) and FDG-PET. A definitive diagnosis was determined either by pathological studies or by clinical follow-up.
Results: Whereas CT showed a recurrent mass in only 1 patient, FDG-PET revealed the high uptake of FDG in all patients. Histopathological and/or cytological examinations confirmed the local recurrence of HBC in 4 patients. One false-positive result occurred in a patient with reflux cholangitis. One patient with a recurrent tumor was followed by FDG-PET after irradiation therapy. The high level of FDG uptake, which had been seen in that patient before irradiation, completely disappeared after treatment.
Conclusions: When used in combination with other modalities, FDG-PET offered useful information for the diagnosis of a local recurrence of HBC. This highly sensitive imaging approach also appeared to be useful for follow-up examination after irradiation therapy.