A false positive for metastatic lymph nodes in the axillary region of a breast cancer patient following mastectomy.
Recent advanced imaging modalities such as positron emission tomography (PET) detect malignancies using 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D: -glucose (18-FDG) with high accuracy, and they contribute to decisions regarding diagnosis, staging, recurrence, and treatment response. Here, we report a case of false-positive metastatic lymph nodes that were diagnosed by PET/CT and ultrasonography in a 48-year-old breast cancer patient who had undergone mastectomy. The tumors, which were oval shaped and resembled lymph nodes, were detected by ultrasonography. PET/CT revealed high uptake of 18-FDG in the tumors. To investigate the proposed recurrence and to re-evaluate the biology of the recurrent tumors, a tumor was removed from the brachial plexus of the patient. Histological findings revealed it to be a schwannoma. All imaging modalities including PET/CT failed to distinguish benign tumors from metastatic lymph nodes in the brachial plexus. After resection of the schwannomas, the patient complained of a slight motor disorder of the second finger on the right hand. Hence, it is important to consider a false-positive case of lymph node metastasis in a breast cancer patient following mastectomy.
Fujiuchi
Nobuko
N
Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama International Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, 1397-1 Yaname, Hidaka, Saitama, Japan.
Saeki
Toshiaki
T
Takeuchi
Hideki
H
Sano
Hiroshi
H
Takahashi
Takao
T
Matsuura
Kazuo
K
Shigekawa
Takashi
T
Misumi
Misono
M
Nakamiya
Noriko
N
Okubo
Katsuhiko
K
Osaki
Akihiko
A
Sakurai
Takaki
T
Matsuda
Hiroshi
H
D001365:Axilla; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18