Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is a credible diagnostic modality for detecting primary and metastatic malignancy. PET/CT sometimes shows false positives and negatives, which make clinical diagnosis difficult. A 42-year-old man who had undergone right upper lobectomy for lung cancer 1 year previously had PET/CT for a metastatic survey of the lung. The lung cancer was stage IB (pT2N0M0) bronchioloalveolar carcinoma. PET/CT showed massive (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in the mesenteric lymph nodes. Because the mesentery is an unusual site of metastasis, the patient was under watchful observation. Another PET/CT after 6 months still showed FDG uptake in the same location, with a slightly increased standard uptake value. A systemic survey was performed, but it did not reveal any malignancies or inflammatory diseases. Eventually, the patient underwent probing laparoscopic surgery. For complete resection of the lymph nodes, laparoscopic ileocecal resection was performed. Histologically, the resected lymph nodes showed reactive lymphadenitis. Glucose transporter 1 immunostainings of the lung cancer and the lymph node were positive and partially positive, respectively. Although PET/CT is a powerful diagnostic modality, clinical interpretation of unusual results is difficult.
Keywords: False positivity; Lymph node; Non-small cell lung cancer; Positron emission tomography.