Faculty Bibliography

Primary hepatic lymphoma (PHL) is an extremely rare entity with scarce information in evidence-based literature. Few case reports have described the role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (FDG PET-CT) in the diagnosing and staging of PHL. We report the case of a 78-year-old man with PHL who initially presented with weight loss and nonspecific fatigue. FDG PET-CT proved to be a beneficial tool in arriving at the diagnosis of this patient with nonspecific clinical presentation and also in the staging of PHL. Physiological uptake of FDG in the liver can be a potential cause of misinterpretation in such cases. Hence, knowing the imaging hallmarks can increase the accuracy in PET image interpretation.

Introduction. Cutaneous paraneoplastic syndromes are a heterogeneous group of skin manifestations that occur in relation to many known malignancies. Paraneoplastic occurrence of SCLE has been noted but is not commonly reported. SCLE association with cholangiocarcinoma is rare. Case Presentation. A 72-year-old man with a history of extrahepatic stage IV cholangiocarcinoma presented with a pruritic rash. Cholangiocarcinoma had been diagnosed three years earlier and was treated. Five months after interruption of his chemotherapy due to a semiurgent surgery, he presented with explosive onset of a new pruritic rash, arthralgias, and lower extremity edema. Physical exam revealed a scaly erythematous rash on his arms, hands, face, neck, legs, and trunk. It was thick and scaly on sun exposed areas. Skin biopsy revealed vacuolar interface dermatitis. Immunofluorescence revealed IgM positive cytoid bodies scattered along the epidermal basement membrane zone. PET-CT scanning revealed metabolically active recurrent disease in peripancreatic and periportal region with hypermetabolic lymph nodes. Oral steroids and new regimen of chemotherapy were started. Rash improved and steroids were tapered off. Discussion. Paraneoplastic syndromes demonstrate the complex interaction between the immune system and cancer. Treatment resistant SCLE should raise a suspicion for paraneoplastic etiology.

Malignant melanoma of the clivus is a rare entity, for which there is little evidence-based literature for guiding clinicians to understand the importance of disease staging via noninvasive imaging strategy. This report highlights the case of a 55-year-old lady with histopathologically confirmed melanocytic melanoma of the clivus-postoperative status, with multiple skeletal metastasis, demonstrated on 2-deoxy-2-[18F] fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT scan). The experience gained with this patient demonstrates the feasibility and usefulness of this noninvasive application in accurate staging and hence, correct decision making regarding further treatment.

A 45-year-old female diagnosed with carcinoma of the left breast on histopathological examination underwent both (18)F-flourodeoxyglucose (FDG) and 11C-methionine (MET) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) as part of a protocol comparing the utility of these tracers for predicting a response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast carcinoma. Abnormal FDG and MET accumulation was noted in the left breast primary, left axillary lymph nodes, and also in a well-defined nodule present in the left lobe of the thyroid gland. Keeping in mind the possibility of thyroid neoplasm/metastasis, the patient was referred for fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) from the thyroid nodule that revealed features of a simple colloid nodule. Focal thyroid lesions incidentally found on (18)F-FDG PET/CT have a high risk of thyroid malignancy. Non-specific accumulation of FDG in thyroid adenomas is also known. This case highlights a potential cause for false positive on C-11 MET PET/CT in colloid adenomas, which should be kept in mind while using this tracer for oncological indications.