ABSTRACT
Thyroid gland metastases from nonthyroidal malignancies are extremely rare. The most common primary malignancies associated with metastasis to thyroid gland include renal cell carcinoma, colorectal carcinoma, lung cancer, and breast cancer. Metastasis to thyroid rarely arises from primary laryngeal cancer. The presence of metastasis to thyroid gland is invariable and associated with poor prognosis and thus, should be differentiated from primary thyroid malignancy. Hereby, we have one such case of metastasis to thyroid gland from laryngeal cancer diagnosed on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan.
ABSTRACT
A diverticulum is an outpouching of a hollow (or fluid-filled) structure in the body. They are most commonly seen in the urinary bladder, intestine, and pharyngeal region and are rarely seen in renal calyces. They are usually benign, asymptomatic, and are coincidentally detected. Due to their nonspecific clinical and radiological picture, sometimes they mimic malignant tumors, leading to misdiagnosis and treatment. We are presenting a case of 60-year-old female with right breast carcinoma, on whole body 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography; we observed an interesting finding in the right renal region mimicking renal metastasis.
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Hypertensive crisis is rare in children. Among the rarest causes leading to this acute crisis, is bilateral adrenal tumour as a part of a syndrome, Von Hippel Lindau syndrome. The treatment is based on the excision of the adrenal tumour followed by long term surviellence. The authors present a case where conventional imaging with ultrasound and contrast enhanced CT scan demonstrated a right side adrenal tumour with raised catecholamines. The small left side tumour got missed on conventional imaging and got picked up on DOTA scan. The persistence of hypertension in post operative period can be related to such hidden functioning tumours. In view of the size of tumour & raised dopamine associated with high incidence of malignancy, robotic surgery was used for bilateral adrenal tumour excision which confirmed the diagnosis of Pheochromocytoma (PCC).
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Infective endocarditis is an infection of the inner layers of the heart, seen often in intravenous drug users and patients with valvular lesions or prosthetic heart valves. This entity has high mortality and morbidity. The most common causative microorganism is Staphylococcus aureus. In this comprehensive literature review, we focused on both Staphylococcus aureus infections, i.e., methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) endocarditis, demographics, use of transthoracic echocardiogram and/or transesophageal echocardiogram for diagnostics, and treatments. Although clinical criteria are relevant, transesophageal echocardiogram plays a vital role in establishing and identifying the presence of infective endocarditis and its local complications, with higher sensitivity in patients with prosthetic valves. The antibiotic selection posed a great challenge for clinicians due to antibiotic resistance and the aggressive nature of Staphylococcus aureus. Early diagnosis of infective endocarditis, when suspected, and effective management by a multispecialty team can improve the outcome for the patients.
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A 35-year-old woman with history of breast cancer was referred to our department for restaging by F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan. Aside from multiple other FDG-avid metastatic lesions, a segmental increased FDG uptake was visualized along the asymmetrically thicker left first sacral nerve root, highly concerning for metastatic disease, which was confirmed by the subsequently performed magnetic resonance imaging. Our case highlights the capability of FDG PET/CT scan in the correct diagnosis of the extremely rare phenomenon of nerve root metastasis as well as the importance of differentiating FDG-avid lumbosacral nerve roots from adjacent skeletal metastases.
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Polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M protein elevation, and skin changes (POEMS) syndrome is one of the rare paraneoplastic disorders of the multiorgan association whose initialism describes the principal clinical features as polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M-protein elevation, and skin changes caused by an underlying plasma cell disorder, one of the major diagnostic criteria for which is the presence of an osseous lesion. We present a case of POEMS syndrome with nearly all signs and symptoms on clinical and hematological examinations, which was further investigated with MRI of the whole spine and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan, as the latter is a very useful imaging modality for evaluation of any paraneoplastic syndromes, including myeloproliferative disorders such as plasmacytoma or multiple myeloma, and lymphoproliferative or other malignancies.
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The pandemic raised a discussion about the postponement of medical interventions for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We analyzed the characteristics of pretreatment diagnostic assessment in the pandemic and the influence of diagnostic assessment on outcomes. A total of 96 patients with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for NSCLC were included. The number of patients increased from mean 0.9 (2012-2019) to 1.45 per month in the COVID era (p < 0.05). Pandemic-related factors (contact reduction, limited intensive care unit resources) might have influenced clinical decision making towards SBRT. The time from pretreatment assessment (multidisciplinary tumor board decision, bronchoscopy, planning CT) to SBRT was longer during the COVID period (p < 0.05). Reduced services, staff shortage, or appointment management to mitigate infection risks might explain this finding. Overall survival, progression-free survival, locoregional progression-free survival, and distant progression-free survival were superior in patients who received a PET/CT scan prior to SBRT (p < 0.05). This supports that SBRT guidelines advocate the acquisition of a PET/CT scan. A longer time from PET/CT scan/conventional staging to SBRT (<10 vs. ≥10 weeks) was associated with worse locoregional control (p < 0.05). The postponement of diagnostic or therapeutic measures in the pandemic should be discussed cautiously. Patient- and tumor-related features should be evaluated in detail.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung , Lung Neoplasms , Radiosurgery , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/pathology , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Lung Neoplasms/pathology , Neoplasm Staging , Pandemics , Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography , Positron-Emission Tomography , Radiosurgery/adverse effects , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
Melanomas are the malignancies that can affect any anatomic region where melanocytes exist (such as the epidermis, eyes, nasal cavity, and anus). Anorectal melanoma is a rare mucosal melanocytic malignancy, comprising 0.8% of all anorectal malignancies. Here, we report a case series of three patients of anorectal melanoma and role of positron emission tomography/computed tomography in diagnosis and follow-up to evaluate the local recurrence and distant metastases. Of three patients, two presented with rectal bleeding and one with obstruction. One patient had recurrence after 10 months, other after 24 months, and third remained disease free post surgery till 9 months.
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Prostate cancer usually metastasizes to regional lymph nodes and bone. Laryngeal cartilage metastases are very rare and only few cases have been published so far describing thyroid cartilage metastatic lesions from prostate cancer. Here, we describe 5 cases of carcinoma prostate, 3 staging and 2 follow-up, where 68Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan revealed multiple skeletal lesions along with thyroid cartilage metastasis. Initially, laryngeal cartilage metastases remain asymptomatic and in later stages patients present with symptoms. These metastatic lesions to thyroid cartilage are rare entities and can often easily be missed on conventional imaging. PET-CT imaging has overcome this diagnostic problem due to its ability to provide for both anatomical and functional imaging.
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Myeloid sarcoma is a rare extramedullary manifestation of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that often presents during remission or disease relapse. The most common site of relapse being, however, many rare sites has been reported in the existing literature. We are herewith presenting the case of a 27-year-old patient of AML who showed an unusual site of relapse on fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan.
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Metastatic lesions to thyroid cartilage are very rare and can be often missed on conventional imaging. Anatomical and functional fused positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging has higher sensitivity as compared to conventional CT imaging and can thus identify such atypical sites of metastasis. Here, we present four cases of thyroid cartilage metastases detected on 18fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT scan from carcinoma lung, breast, stomach and urinary bladder.
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INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: The breast angiosarcoma is a rare malignant vascular neoplasm; it represents nearly 0.05% of all breast cancers. Clinically, it could look like a haemangioma or pseudoangiomatous hyperplasia. Here, we report a case of a primary angiosarcoma of the breast (PAB) that mimics a giant fibroadenoma in physical examination and ultrasound features. CASE PRESENTATION: A 22 year-old woman came to our hospital complaining of a mobile non-tender mass in her right breast. It was monitored for a while until it became an 8 × 7 cm2. Past medical and family histories were unremarkable. Ultrasonography showed a well circumscribed hypoechoic lobular mass. The wide excision was performed and the pathological study showed angiosarcoma. The patient was re-operated for total mastectomy, screened for distant Metastases and followed-up closely for one year. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Fibroadenoma-like lesions are not uncommon and physicians should pay an attention for any breast mass even in the patient who is young and has no risk factors of the traditional breast cancer. PAB is used to be missed in the clinical practice over the world; it is extremely rare and is proved by Immunohistochemistry. The full management could be totally completed by a mastectomy with/out axillary node dissection. CONCLUSION: The primary angisarcoma of the breast (PAB) could resemble a fibroadenoma in pre-operative investigations. In many reviews, PAB mimicked many diseases. Thus, the medical literature needs more case reports and series to identify an ideal protocol of diagnosis and management.
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Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is known to have association with systemic diseases with chronic inflammation such as psoriasis. We aim to describe the concomitant systemic inflammation in patients with HS using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) scan. This was a case-control study conducted in three tertiary hospitals in Northern Malaysia from January to December 2017, involving HS patients aged 18 years and above. Thirty-two HS patients with age- and sex-matched controls were recruited with a mean age of 31.4 years (range: 18-56). Numerous cutaneous inflammatory foci were detected on FDG-PET/CT scan in clinically unapparent sites (27/32, 84.4%). Approximately 90.6%, 93.8%, and 50.0% of the patients had significantly higher cutaneous uptake over nasal, mandibular, and scalp regions, respectively (P < 0.0001). PET/CT scan did not detect any systemic inflammation unlike those found in psoriasis. Three (9.4%) patients had thyroid nodules with high uptake (maximum standard uptake values ranging from 2.9 to 11.3). Two of them were confirmed to have papillary thyroid carcinoma, while the third patient has inconclusive finding. 18F-FDG PET/CT scan may be useful to map disease burden of HS. Nonlesional inflammatory foci on the skin of the nose, mandibular, and scalp are probably significant. The association of thyroid carcinoma in HS warrants further evaluation.
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The abnormal thickening of the gallbladder (GB) wall can be caused by a malignant condition like gallbladder carcinoma or by benign lesions such as chronic cholecystitis or xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC). Mural thickening is a common finding between them as fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) can be taken up by inflammatory cells also. Here, we present a patient with irregular thickening of the GB wall which was suspected to of GB carcinoma since FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan showed increased tracer uptake in the lesion. However, after surgery the histopathological report was suggestive of XGC.
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Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignancies of the urinary tract. Cutaneous metastasis of bladder carcinoma is extremely rare with a limited number of cases, resulting mainly from iatrogenic seeding. Here, we present scan findings of cutaneous metastasis in a known case of carcinoma urinary bladder. The 18F FDG PET/CT scan revealed FDG avid nodular thickening of the skin and sub-cutaneous tissue with ulcerations involving anterior pelvic wall, walls of the scrotum and the base of the penis. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of cutaneous and subcutaneous metastasis.
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Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein which is overexpressed in prostate cancer. However, the widespread use of PSMA positron-emission tomography (PET) scan revealed various nonprostatic PSMA-avid diseases. Here we present a report of a known case of carcinoma prostate, post orchidectomy, radiotherapy, on hormonal therapy with complain of back pain, referred for Ga68 PSMA PET/CT scan. The scan revealed PSMA-avid lesion of contiguous D6 and D7 vertebrae with associated soft-tissue component. The biopsy of the lesion was suggestive of tuberculosis.
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OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the prognostic significance of 18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) scan-derived total metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients with only nodal involvement. METHODS: Twenty-five (age range: 22-82 years) biopsy-proven patients of DLBCL with only nodal involvement who underwent staging 18FDG PET-CT scan were included in this study. Whole-body PET-CT performed at staging and PET-derived metabolic parameters, namely MTV and TLG of all FDG-avid lesions, were calculated for each patient. Total MTV was computed by summing the volumes of all FDG-avid lesions, the volume of each being calculated at threshold of 42% of the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV) using a semi-automatic software. TLG was calculated by summing the product of volume and SUVmean of each lesion. Patients were followed up to a period of 5 years and data obtained were divided into two groups, with recurrence and without recurrence. RESULTS: Six patients developed recurrence on follow-up and 19 patients remained disease free on follow-up. The area under a curve (AUC) for MTV was 0.825 and for TLG was 0.623 suggesting MTV to be a good prognostic indicator and TLG poor indicator for predicting recurrence in these patients. In pairwise comparison of both the receiver operator characteristics, it was found that the difference between the AUCs of MTV and TLG was statistically significant (P = 0.0349). Thus, indicating MTV is a statistically better indicator than TLG. CONCLUSION: MTV is a better prognostic indicator than TLG in DLBCL patients.
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Choroidal melanomas are the most common ocular malignant tumors worldwide. The onset of such tumors is insidious, such that affected patients often have no pain or obvious discomfort during early stages. Notably, enucleation is required for patients with a severe choroidal melanoma, which can seriously impact their quality of life. Moreover, choroidal melanomas metastasize early, often to the liver; this eventually causes affected patients to die of liver failure. Therefore, early diagnosis of choroidal melanomas is extremely important. Unfortunately, an early choroidal melanoma is easily confused with a choroidal nevus, which is the most common benign tumor of the eye and does not often require surgical treatment. This review discusses recent advances in the use of multimodal and molecular imaging to identify choroidal melanomas and choroidal nevi, detect early metastasis, and diagnose patients with choroidal melanomas.
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Fibroids are rare in postmenopausal females. Torsion of pedunculated uterine fibroid is also a very rare occurrence in elderly females. We report a rare case of an 84-year-old multiparous, postmenopausal female, a treated case of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, presenting with a large abdominal mass. The comparative positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan study of the patient revealed that a new mass in the abdomen and pelvis connected with the left adnexa with a pedicle and previously seen fibroid was not visualized on the present scan, thus raising suspicion of torsion of subserosal fibroid. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of fibroid.
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Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is an uncommon proliferative histiocytic disorder. Patients usually present with painless massive cervical lymphadenopathy with fever and leukocytosis. Isolated extranodal disease is rare and more severe fibrosis, fewer histiocytosis in lesions make diagnosis more difficult as compared to nodal disease. Here, we report a case of isolated extranodal RDD on fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scan. FDG-avidity of RDD lesions is attributable to the intense glucose dependence of the proliferating histiocytes. PET-CT scan not only demonstrates the complete staging of the disease but also provide functional information about the disease activity to guide biopsy.