Cervical Tuberculous Lymphadenitis Mimicking Distant Lymph Node Metastasis on F-18 FDG PET/CT in a Patient With Gastric Carcinoid Tumor

Abstract

A 35-year-old man was diagnosed with gastric carcinoid tumor and underwent whole body F-18 FDG PET/CT for staging. F-18 FDG PET/CT showed no abnormal uptake in the stomach. However, there was increased uptake in the right cervical lymph nodes. An open biopsy of the lymph node confirmed tuberculous lymphadenitis without malignancy. The increased uptake of cervical lymph nodes on F-18 FDG PET/CT imaging should be interpreted with caution in differentiating benign from malignant lesions and should be confirmed by pathologic examination before the initiation of a definitive treatment