Lung Cancer - SPN Lung Cancer Case 6

Clinical History
A 67 year old man, underwent a CT scan, which revealed three pulmonary nodules, one in the left lung and two in the right lung. He was referred for PET•CT scan for further evaluation.

Imaging Findings


The PET•CT scan revealed that the medial lesion within the right lung demonstrated marked FDG uptake. The remaining nodule in the right lung and the left lung nodule showed no significant FDG uptake.

Discussion
This is a very interesting case of a gentleman where a CT scan revealed three pulmonary nodules. He was referred for a PET•CT scan, which showed only one of the three nodules was FDG avid. A subsequent biopsy of the FDG avid nodule showed adenocarcinoma. The surgeon, after consultation with the patient, decided to resect all three nodules. The pathology of the three nodules showed adenocarcinoma, a more peripheral area of infarct from tumor embolus, and in the other lung a benign hamartoma. In this particular case, PET•CT accurately identified the malignant nodule from the other two benign nodules.

Data courtesy of Dr. Todd Blodgett, University of Pittsburg Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

*Any of the protocols presented herein are for informational purposes and are not meant to substitute for clinician judgment in how best to use any medical devices. It is the clinician that makes all diagnostic determinations based upon education, learning and experience.