title: 18F-fluoroethyl-L-tyrosine positron emission tomography-guided diagnosis of a malignant intramedullary spinal cord tumor.
abstract: Diagnosis in patients with a suspected malignant intramedullary lesion that requires biopsy for definitive diagnosis may be challenging, as spinal cord surgery carries the risk of irreversible neurological deficits. The current study presents the first case of18F-fluoroethyl-L-tyrosine (18F-FET) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in a patient with a spinal cord tumor. The patient was unsuitable for magnetic resonance imaging due to his implanted cardiac defibrillator.18F-FET PET indicated a high-grade malignancy of the spinal cord, justifying tumor biopsy. Histological analysis was compatible with a malignant melanoma. This is also the first report demonstrating the FET-PET appearance/metabolic phenotype of a malignant melanoma of the spinal cord.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Neurooncology, Department of Neurology, University of Bonn Medical Center, 53127 Bonn, Germany; Stem Cell Pathologies Group, Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, University of Bonn Medical Center, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Sied
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kebir
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Bonn Medical Center, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Okka
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kimmich
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropathology, University of Bonn Medical Center, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Pitt
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Niehusmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Bonn Medical Center, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Florian C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Gaertner
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Bonn Medical Center, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Essler
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Dermatology, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, University of Bonn Medical Center, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Landsberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Bonn Medical Center, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klockgether
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Bonn Medical Center, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Neurooncology, Department of Neurology, University of Bonn Medical Center, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Herrlinger
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Neurooncology, Department of Neurology, University of Bonn Medical Center, 53127 Bonn, Germany; Stem Cell Pathologies Group, Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, University of Bonn Medical Center, 53127 Bonn, Germany; Clinical Cooperation Unit Neurooncology, MediClin Robert Janker Klinik, 53129 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glas
keywords: 18F-fluoroethyl-L-tyrosine PET; malignant melanoma; spinal PET; spinal cord; spinal neoplasia