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Background and aim : Positron emission tomography/computed tomography(PET/CT) scans detects benign clinical conditions in addition to malignancy, and this leads to additional investigation and expenditure. The purpose of our study was to assess the endoscopic and histupathologic results of incidental 18F-FDG uptake in the GI tract. Patients and Method: We enrolled 110 patients who underwent gastroscopy/colonoscopy for incidental GI tract involvement in PET/CT. Histopathologic and endoscopic results were compared with FDG uptake level, pattern of uptake(diffuse/focal), and site or involvement. Results : In our study, 52.7% of the patients were male and the mean age was 57 +/- 11 years. Among the participants, 47.3% and 52.7% of patients had upper GI tract and colorectal involvement In PET/CT, respectively. Gastritis and colonic polyps were the most common endoscopic diagnoses that caused FDG uptake in the upper and lower GI tract, respectively. Endoscopic evaluation was normal in 23.6% of patients with pathologic FDG involvement. The rates of adenomatous polyps, malignancy, and hyperplastic polyps were 18.5%, 13.6%, and 6.8%, respectively. The mean SUVmax were higher in malignant lesions than in non-malignant lesions (14.3 +/- 8.9 vs. 9.3 +/- 5.3)(p=0.02). Diffuse or focal FDG involvement patterns on PET/CT did not help to discriminate malignancy in the GI tract. Conclusion : Malignancy was detected in only 13.6% of patients with FDG involvement in the GI tract, and the involvement pattern(diffuse/local) and SUVmax did not differentiate malignancy.

Aim: To investigate clinical, etiological, and prognostic features in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who were followed-up from 2001 to 2011 were included in the study. The diagnosis was established by histopathological and/or radiological criteria. We retrospectively reviewed clinical and laboratory data, etiology of primary liver disease, imaging characteristics and treatments. Child-Pugh and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage was determined at initial diagnosis. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was done to find out treatment effect on survival. Risk factors for vascular invasion and overall survival were investigated by multivariate Cox regression analyses. Results: Five hundred and forty-five patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were included in the study. Viral hepatitis was prevalent and 68 patients either had normal liver or were non-cirrhotic. Overall median survival was 16 (13-19) mo. Presence of extrahepatic metastasis was associated with larger tumor size (OR = 3.19, 95% CI: 1.14-10.6). Independent predictor variables of vascular invasion were AFP (OR = 2.95, 95% CI: 1.38-6.31), total tumor diameter (OR = 3.14, 95% CI: 1.01-9.77), and hepatitis B infection (OR = 5.37, 95% CI: 1.23-23.39). Liver functional reserve, tumor size/extension, AFP level and primary treatment modality were independent predictors of overall survival. Transarterial chemoembolization (HR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.28-0.51) and radioembolization (HR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.18-0.74) provided a comparable survival benefit in the real life setting. Surgical treatments as resection and transplantation were found to be associated with the best survival compared with loco-regional treatments (log-rank, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Baseline liver function, oncologic features including AFP level and primary treatment modality determines overall survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma., NA