FDG PET-CT imaging of peritoneal carcinomatosis

Learning Objectives Representative FDG PET-CT imaging and pathologic correlations of peritoneal carcinomatosis from ovary cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, gallbladder cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, melanoma, cholangiocarcinoma, small bowel mucinous adenocarcinoma, uterus cancer, and unknown primary are reviewed and summarized.

Peritoneal carcinomatosis is the most common secondary tumor affecting the peritoneal cavity. Traditionally, it was considered a terminal condition and usually was offered palliative treatment. With the advent of cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, there has been a trend for increased survival. It occurs commonly with the cancers of the gastrointestinal tract and ovaries. Extra-gastrointestinal cancers that commonly metastasize to the peritoneum and cause peritoneal carcinomatosis include ovary, breast, lung and uterus cancers. In addition to providing information on other sites of metastatic disease, FDG PET/CT provides valuable metabolic information for the early diagnosis and therapy monitoring of peritoneal carcinomatosis. FDG PET-CT imaging and the pathologic correlations of peritoneal carcinomatosis metastasized from various cancers and unknown primary are reviewed and summarized.