An Aggressive Large Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma of the Anterior Mediastinum in a Young Woman

Hemangioendothelioma is a rare vascular tumor with involvement of the liver, brain, long bones, and lung. Among the 6 histological subtypes, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is the most aggressive. Its occurrence in the mediastinum is quite rare, and very few cases have been documented. The reported cases in the literature have described difficulties in the preoperative diagnosis due to the unusual histological appearance of the tumor. Immunohistochemistry remains the mainstay for a definitive diagnosis. Due to its low incidence, there is no standard treatment for mediastinal EHE, but curative resection is the preferred treatment option where possible, with chemotherapy used as an adjuvant treatment or in cases of widespread inoperable disease. The present case study describes an aggressive EHE occurring in an 18-year-old woman in the anterior mediastinum.

Evaluation of mediastinal lymph nodes using [18] F-FDG PET-CT scan and its histopathologic correlation

To determine the efficacy of integrated 18 F-fluorodeoxy glucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography [18 F-FDG PET-CT] in the evaluation and characterization of mediastinal lymph nodes into benign and malignant pathology. Thirty-five patients with mediastinal lymphadenopathies without primary neoplastic or infective lung pathologies were included in the study. The lymph nodes were detected on contrast-enhanced CT scan of the chest. All patients underwent 18 F-FDG PET-CT scan for evaluation of mediastinal lymph nodes. Results of PET-CT were compared with histopathology of the lymph nodes and sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were calculated. Statistical Analysis: The data were collected prospectively and analyzed using [SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL] 11.5 software. Histopathology results in 35 patients revealed tuberculosis in 12, sarcoidosis in 8, and lymphoma in 15. Maximum standardized uptake value [SUVmax] of the benign lymph nodes ranged from 2.3 to 11.8 with a mean +/- standard deviation [SD] of 5.02 +/- 3.26. SUVmax of the malignant lymph nodes ranged from 2.4 to 34 with a mean +/- SD of 10.8 +/- 8.12. There was a statistically significant difference between benign and malignant pathology [P<0.0059]. 18 F-FDG PET-CT has sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 40% with SUVmax 2.5 as the cutoff. We found the optimal SUVmax cutoff to be 6.2 as determined by the receiver-operator characteristic curve. With 6.2 as cutoff, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 87%, 70%, and 77%, respectively. In countries where tuberculosis and other granulomatous diseases are endemic, SUVmax cutoff value of 2.5 has low specificity. Increasing the cutoff value can improve the specificity, while maintaining an acceptable sensitivity

Role of (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT in the Evaluation of Primary Pulmonary Carcinoids

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although carcinoid tumors usually have good prognosis, early and specific diagnosis is important. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging do not provide findings that are specific for carcinoids, and somatostatin receptor scintigraphy suffers from low spatial resolution. 18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) has limited sensitivity for carcinoids due to low uptake of the marker. A PET/CT system that uses the somatostatin receptor-based PET tracer 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N(I),N(II),N(III),N(IIII)-tetraacetic acid (D)-Phe(1)-thy(3)-octreotide ((68)Ga-DOTATOC) has also been used in the evaluation of carcinoids, although information regarding its use for the detection of primary pulmonary carcinoids is limited. Thus, we investigated the value of (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT for the diagnosis of primary pulmonary carcinoid tumors. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of patients with primary pulmonary tumors who underwent (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT. All the patients had a histopathologic diagnosis of carcinoid. The rate of detection of primary pulmonary carcinoid tumors using (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT was assessed. RESULTS: Twenty patients were diagnosed as having carcinoid, and 19 tumors showed significant uptake on (68)Ga-DOTATOC (detection rate, 95%). The maximal standardized uptake value (SUV(max)) ranged from 1.1 to 66, with a median value of 21.6. In one patient, (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT revealed additional lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that (68)Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT is useful in the evaluation of primary pulmonary carcinoids and should be included in the diagnostic work-up of these patients.