title: Incidental uptake of (18)F-fluorocholine (FCH) in the head or in the neck of patients with prostate cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) with (18)F-fluorocholine (FCH) is routinely performed in patients with prostate cancer. In this clinical context, foci of FCH uptake in the head or in the neck were considered as incidentalomas, except for those suggestive of multiple bone metastases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 8 patients the incidental focus corresponded to a benign tumour. The standard of truth was histology in two cases, correlative imaging with MRI in four cases, (99m)Tc-SestaMIBI scintigraphy, ultrasonography and biochemistry in one case and biochemistry including PTH assay in one case. The final diagnosis of benign tumours consisted in 3 pituitary adenomas, 2 meningiomas, 2 hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands and 1 thyroid adenoma. Malignancy was proven histologically in 2 other patients: 1 papillary carcinoma of the thyroid and 1 cerebellar metastasis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To the best of our knowledge, FCH uptake by pituitary adenomas or hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands has never been described previously. We thus discuss whether there might be a future indication for FCH PET/CT when one such tumour is already known or suspected: to detect a residual or recurrent pituitary adenoma after surgery, to guide surgery or radiotherapy of a meningioma or to localise a hyperfunctioning parathyroid gland. In these potential indications, comparative studies with reference PET tracers or with (99m)Tc-sestaMIBI in case of hyperparathyroidism could be undertaken.
authors.affiliation: Department for nuclear medicine, University Medical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hodolic
authors.affiliation: Médecine nucléaire, Hôpital Tenon, AP-HP, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Huchet
authors.affiliation: Médecine nucléaire, Hôpital Tenon, AP-HP, Paris, France ; Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Sona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Balogova
authors.affiliation: Médecine nucléaire, Hôpital Tenon, AP-HP, Paris, France ; Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Laure
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Michaud
authors.affiliation: Médecine nucléaire, Hôpital Tenon, AP-HP, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Khaldoun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kerrou
authors.affiliation: Médecine nucléaire, Hôpital Tenon, AP-HP, Paris, France ; Radiopharmacie, Hôpital Tenon, AP-HP, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nataf
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Medicine Unit, National Cancer Institute CRO IRCCS, Aviano, Italy.
authors.forename: Marino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cimitan
authors.affiliation: Department for nuclear medicine, University Medical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Jure
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fettich
authors.affiliation: Médecine nucléaire, Hôpital Tenon, AP-HP, Paris, France ; Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Noël
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Talbot
keywords: FCH, PET/CT; hyperparathyroidism; incidentaloma; meningioma; pituitary adenoma; thyroid adenoma