Usefulness of 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the evaluation of tumor cardiac thrombus from renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

Purpose: Retrospectively analysed our experience in Renal Cell carcinoma (RCC) patients studied with 18-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (FDG PET) to rule out the incidence and clinical impact of heart metastases.

Material and methods: In two years, 37 patients with RCC were studied with FDG PET. 10 were studied for initial staging and 27 patients were evaluated for suspected recurrence or re-staging.

Results: In two patients (5%), PET scan showed pathological focal uptake in myocardium. On the bases of this finding, MRI was performed visualizing a myocardial mass in both lesions and confirmed by histology in one of them. The hypothesis of prolepses of the tumour by thrombus in RCC patients justified the surgery.

Conclusion: Whole-body FDG PET in RCC patients could help to diagnose cardiac metastasis, and allows the possibility of therapeutic surgery, due to the thrombus significance of heart involvement.