[FDG-PET in hepatocellular carcinoma. Based on one case]

We present a case of a 73 year old man, who lost 12 kg of weight in one month, had abdominal pain and progressive hepatic failure. A MRI and liver ultrasound were performed and, with the patient's symptoms, hepatocellular carcinoma Vs metastatic liver was suspected. A PET-FDG was performed and the images showed hepatomegaly and splenomegaly, without other findings of interest. FDG distribution in the liver was homogeneous. The patient was diagnosed of hepatocellular carcinoma after liver biopsy. FDG-PET detects only 50 % to 70 % of hepatocellular carcinomas due to varying degrees of activity of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase in these tumors. This paper reviews the literature on this type of situations.