title: Unexpected detection of melanoma brain metastasis by PET with iodine-124 betaCIT.
abstract: To study the potential impact of iodine-124-beta-carbomethoxy-3beta(4-iodophenyl)tropane (I-124 betaCIT) in Parkinson disease, a I-124 betaCIT-PET scan was performed in 30-year-old man with suspected early Parkinson disease. The scan showed normal striatum uptake together with a focal spot in the left parietal cortex. The subsequent magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed a corresponding nodular lesion, presumably representing a metastasis. After clinical and diagnostic evaluation, a malignant metastatic melanoma was discovered. betaCIT is a cocaine derivative with a high affinity for dopamine and serotonin transporters mainly used to image the density of the dopamine reuptake transporter. In fact the role of I-123 betaCIT is typically represented by Parkinsonian syndromes of uncertain classification. The iodine-124 betaCIT uptake is a marker of dopamine transporters density, and the presence of focal uptake corresponding to a lesion on magnetic resonance images suggests a specific binding in this case of melanoma brain metastasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy. cascini@unicz.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe Lucio
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Cascini
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ciarmiello
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Labate
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tamburrini
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quattrone
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D003042:Cocaine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; C069723:2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-iodophenyl)tropane; D003042:Cocaine