Nucl Med Mol Imaging.  2020 Oct;54(5):252-255. 10.1007/s13139-020-00658-3.

The Role of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT for Evaluation of Cervical Metastatic Lymph Nodes in a Patient with Metallic Artifacts from Dental Prosthesis: a Case Report

• Park JY
• Lee YH

• KMID: 2507743
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s13139-020-00658-3

Abstract

Cervical metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma from an unknown primary site occurs in approximately 2–4% of head and neck tumor cases. Without identification of the primary site, proper management cannot be achieved, resulting in significant morbidity and a lower cure rate. For the primary site assessment, positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) using the radiotracer ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is the imaging modality of choice and has been shown to be superior to CT alone. Here, we report a case of cervical metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma in an 82-year-old man. ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT revealed a tongue-base lesion, although neck CT detected no lesions because of artifacts from dental prosthesis, which was suspected as the primary site. The final diagnosis was confirmed as tongue-base cancer with neck lymph node metastases through biopsy. These results suggest that ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT is a valuable diagnostic tool in patients with cervical metastatic lymph nodes because it can demonstrate primary tumors in patients with dental prosthesis.

Keyword

Head and neck cancer; Neck lymph nodes; Unknown primary; Dental prosthesis; FDG PET/CT