Role of ¹⁸F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis of Newly Found Suspected Malignant Solitary Pulmonary Lesions in Patients Who Have Received Curative Treatment for Colorectal Cancer

Figure 1

Representative ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT scans. (a) A 60-year-old woman had undergone surgery for rectal carcinoma (stage I) 103 months ago. ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT revealed a solitary pulmonary lesion that was suspected to be malignant (SUV_max, 13.9). The CEA level was 3.7 μg/L. The patient underwent pulmonary surgery. Pathological examination confirmed pulmonary metastasis. (b) A 65-year-old man had undergone surgery for colon carcinoma (stage II) 50 months ago, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. PET/CT revealed a solitary pulmonary lesion that was suspected to be malignant (SUV_max, 7.6), multiple mediastinal lymph metastases, and bone metastasis. The CEA level was 4.6 μg/L. A bronchoscopic biopsy confirmed primary lung adenocarcinoma. (c) A 49-year-old woman had undergone surgery for colon carcinoma (stage II) 36 months ago, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. PET/CT revealed a solitary pulmonary lesion that was suspected to be malignant (SUV_max, 8.2). The CEA level was 5.3 μg/L. Pulmonary surgery confirmed granulomatous disease. ¹⁸F-FDG, ¹⁸Fluorine-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose; PET/CT, positron emission tomography/computed tomography; SUV_max, maximum standardized uptake value; CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen.

(a)

(b)

(c)