False-positive finding of retropharyngeal lymph node recurrence in both fluorine (18)FDG PET and MRI in a patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Biopsy of the retropharyngeal node is not routinely accessible. The diagnosis of retropharyngeal lymph node recurrence in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is often based on an imaging study. We reported a patient with NPC who was incorrectly diagnosed with left retropharyngeal lymph node...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Head & neck 2016-04, Vol.38 (4), p.E84-E86
Main Authors: Tsai, Ming-Chen, Shu, Yu-Chi, Hsu, Chia-Chen, Lin, Chih-Kung, Lee, Jih-Chin, Chu, Yueng-Hsiang, Huang, Wen-Yen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biopsy
Diagnostic Errors
Female
Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 - administration & dosage
Humans
Lymph Nodes - diagnostic imaging
Lymphatic Metastasis
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging
Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - diagnostic imaging
Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography - methods
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Biopsy of the retropharyngeal node is not routinely accessible. The diagnosis of retropharyngeal lymph node recurrence in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is often based on an imaging study. We reported a patient with NPC who was incorrectly diagnosed with left retropharyngeal lymph node recurrence by both MRI and positron emission tomography (PET)/CT. A woman who was treated for stage IVA NPC 2 years previously was found to have a nodal lesion in the left retropharyngeal space on MRI together with focal fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake on PET/CT. Locoregional recurrence was suspected, and surgery was performed. Subsequent pathology results showed reactive lymphoid hyperplasia. Although tissue biopsy for the retropharyngeal node is technically difficult, this case demonstrates that tumor recurrence cannot be diagnosed even based on both positive findings on MRI and PET/CT in patients with NPC.
ISSN:1097-0347
DOI:10.1002/hed.24205