SPN
Case Study
 
| Case
History |
| This
70-year old male smoker presented with both a 2-cm. lesion
in the lingula of the left lung and bilateral enlarged hilar
lymph nodes evident on CT. A transbronchial biopsy was indeterminate.
The patient was referred for a PET scan to differentiate
benign vs. malignant status of solitary pulmonary nodule
and to assess the degree of mediastinal involvement. |
| PET
Scan Results |
| A
focal area of increased radiotracer uptake was noted in
the left mid-lung, in the area corresponding to the CT abnormality
in the lingula. Quantification by Standardized Uptake Value
(SUV) was 3.1, indicating hypermetabolism consistent with
a malignant process. No other areas of hypermetabolism were
noted in the lungs, mediastinum or abdomen. |
| PET
Outcome |
| The
patient underwent resection of the left lung lesion, and
pathology revealed squamous cell carcinoma, moderately differentiated.
There was no metastatic involvement of the mediastinal lymph
nodes. PET correctly characterized the nodule and the
lymph nodes, thus giving a more accurate staging than had
previously been indicated by CT. |
|
