Granuloma Mimicking Local Recurrence on PET/CT after Liver Resection of Colorectal Liver Metastasis: A Case Report.
Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) improves the diagnostic interpretation of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG ) PET and CT in oncologic patients and has an impact on both diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of patient management. However, false positive findings from the PET/CT imaging should be taken into consideration as they mislead physicians into improper therapeutic actions. We present a 48-year-old female patient with a history of left colectomy for colorectal cancer and subsequent liver metastasectomy. After one year of follow-up, she presented with a highly suspicious lesion in the liver, which was confirmed on PET/CT as a metastatic liver tumor. Consequently, the patient underwent surgical excision of the tumor, and the definitive histological diagnosis showed a granulomatous tissue with giant cells and foreign body tissue reaction. Based on this report, we briefly review the dangerous pitfalls from radiological and PET/CT imaging concerning the preoperative diagnostic workup examination, as they may significantly alter the treatment plan in oncologic patients.
2nd Department of Surgery, ARETAIEIO Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine.
Eirini V
EV
Pantiora
2nd Department of Surgery, ARETAIEIO Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine.
Elissaios A
EA
Kontis
Department of Oncology, ARETAIEIO Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine.
Vasiliki
V
Michalaki
1st Department of Radiology, ARETAIEIO Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine.
Elias
E
Primetis
2nd Department of Surgery, ARETAIEIO Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine.
Antonios
A
Vezakis
2nd Department of Surgery, ARETAIEIO Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine.
Andreas
A
Polydorou
2nd Department of Surgery, ARETAIEIO Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine.
Georgios P
GP
Fragulidis
PET/CT; colorectal cancer; fdg-pet; granuloma; liver metastases; metastasectomy