Metastatic embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma to the pancreas presenting as acute pancreatitis detected by FDG PET/CT.
An 8-year-old boy with history of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma resected 2 years ago presented with abdominal pain and elevated pancreatic enzymes. Acute pancreatitis was diagnosed, and appropriate therapy was started. An FDG PET/CT scan revealed a hypermetabolic region in the pancreas suspicious for malignancy; however, the patient's condition improved after therapy. A repeat PET/CT scan performed 3 weeks later for recurrent symptoms showed interval disease progression, consistent with metastatic disease. Our case indicates that pancreatitis can accompany malignancy or be related to the obstruction caused by tumor, and patient's response to therapy for acute pancreatitis does not rule out malignancy.
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Beijing Friendship Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Jigang
J
Yang
Ion
I
Codreanu
Sabah
S
Servaes
Hongming
H
Zhuang
D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary*; D010195:Pancreatitis; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D018233:Rhabdomyosarcoma, Embryonal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18