18F-FDG PET Detection of Unknown Primary Malignancy in Dermatomyositis
Clinical Nuclear Medicine , 08/21/2012
Mahmood S et al. – The authors present a patient who initially presented with adenopathy and progressive muscular weakness and was diagnosed with dermatomyositis and lung carcinoma on further investigation. Whole–body PET/CT scan revealed diffuse proximal muscle hypermetabolism representing the inflammatory nature of dermatomyositis, and an intensely FDG–avid primary right lower lung small cell lung carcinoma and metastatic thoracic lymphadenopathy. PET/CT imaging may offer an “all–in–one” procedure as an alternative to other diagnostic procedures, reducing the number of unnecessary investigations in patients presenting with paraneoplastic syndromes searching for underlying malignancy.
