FDG PET/CT in the Evaluation of Late Manifestation of Adrenal Metastasis after Radical Nephrectomy in Patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Report of Four Cases and Review of Literature

Authors

  • Koramadai Karuppusamy Kamaleshwaran Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research
  • Anish Bhattacharya Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research
  • Arup Kumar Mandal Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research
  • Shravan Kumar Singh Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research
  • Bhagwant Rai Mittal Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research

Keywords:

PET/CT, Renal cell carcinoma, Adrenal metastasis

Abstract

Purpose: Presence of distant metastasis is a strong independent predictor of poor survival in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Positron emission tomography using F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been reported to be superior to conventional anatomic imaging modalities for detecting distant metastases from RCC.

Methods: The authors report the findings of four patients who underwent FDG positron emission tomography / computed tomography (PET/CT) at varying periods after radical nephrectomy for RCC.

Results: FDG PET/CT detected increased tracer concentration in the adrenal glands in all four patients and subsequent fine needle aspiration confirmed metastatic RCC. While the adrenal was the only site of metastasis in one patient, additional metastases were detected in lymph nodes and lungs in the others.

Conclusions: RCC metastatic to the adrenal gland is usually a vascular tumour and there is an intrinsic risk of haemorrhage during CT-guided needle biopsy. This small series of cases suggests that FDG PET/CT is a useful non-invasive investigation in identifying malignant adrenal lesions in patients with RCC presenting after nephrectomy.

Author Biographies

Koramadai Karuppusamy Kamaleshwaran, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research

Department of Nuclear Medicine and Urology

Anish Bhattacharya, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research

Department of Nuclear Medicine and Urology

Arup Kumar Mandal, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research

Department of Nuclear Medicine and Urology

Shravan Kumar Singh, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research

Department of Nuclear Medicine and Urology

Bhagwant Rai Mittal, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research

Department of Nuclear Medicine and Urology

Downloads

Published

2014-08-12

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2014)

Section

Articles

License

Policy for Journals/Articles with Open Access

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
    1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

  1. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post links to their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work

Policy for Journals / Manuscript with Paid Access

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
    1. Publisher retain copyright .

  1. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post links to their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work .