Causes and imaging features of false positives and false negatives on F-PET/CT in oncologic imaging

Abstract

BACKGROUND: 18F-FDG is a glucose analogue that is taken up by a wide range of malignancies. 18F-FDG PET-CT is now firmly established as an accurate method for the staging and restaging of various cancers. However, 18F-FDG also accumulates in normal tissue and other non-malignant conditions, and some malignancies do not take up F18-FDG or have a low affinity for the tracer, leading to false-positive and false-negative interpretations. METHODS: PET-CT allows for the correlation of two separate imaging modalities, combining both morphological and metabolic information. We should use the CT to help interpret the PET findings. In this article we will highlight specific false-negative and false-positive findings that one should be aware of when interpreting oncology scans. RESULTS: We aim to highlight post-treatment conditions that are encountered routinely on restaging scans that can lead to false-positive interpretations. We will emphasise the importance of using the CT component to help recognise these entities to allow improved diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSION: In light of the increased use of PET-CT, it is important that nuclear medicine physicians and radiologists be aware of these conditions and correlate the PET and CT components to avoid misdiagnosis, over staging of disease and unnecessary biopsies.

Fig. 1

¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in a 65-year-old male with colorectal cancer. On the coronal PET images, a focus of increased FDG uptake is seen at the right lung base (black arrow). Contrast CT does not show any pulmonary nodules but does demonstrate a liver metastasis in the superior aspect of the right lobe of the liver (yellow arrow)

Fig. 2

¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in a 28-year-old male with an osteosarcoma of the femur. A focus of increased FDG uptake (yellow arrow) is identified in the left lower lobe with no CT correlate (a). A 3-month follow-up CT thorax again does not demonstrate any pulmonary nodules confirming that the uptake seen originally on the PET-CT was due to injected clot (b)

Fig. 3

¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in a 56-year-old woman with colorectal cancer. Some low grade FDG uptake is identified in non-enlarged right axillary nodes (yellow arrow) consistent with injection artifact

Fig. 4

¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT surveillance scan performed in a 36-year-old male with a history of seminoma. Symmetrical uptake is noted in the neck, supraclavicular fossa and paravertebral regions consistent with typical appearance of brown fat activity (black arrow). Brown fat uptake is also seen in the left supradiaphragmatic region and left paraoesophageal region (yellow arrow) (a). ¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in a 48-year-old male with a history of colorectal cancer. Increased FDG uptake is noted within brown fat associated with lipomatous hypertrophy of the intra-atrial septum (b)

Fig. 5

¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in a 42-year-old premenopausal female with breast cancer. She was scanned during menstruation. FDG uptake is noted within metastatic right axillary nodes (black arrow). Increased FDG uptake is also noted within the endometrial canal of the uterus (yellow arrow), which is thickened on CT, consistent with active menstruation (a). ¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in the same 42-year-old woman at a different stage in her menstrual cycle showing resolution of the previously identified uterine uptake (yellow arrow) (b)

Fig. 6

¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in a 50-year-old woman with inflammatory breast cancer. Diffuse increased FDG uptake is noted within the right breast (yellow arrow) and in a right axillary node (black arrow), consistent with malignancy (a). Increased symmetrical uptake is also noted within both adrenal glands with no abnormal correlate on CT (yellow arrow) (b). Post-chemotherapy PET-CT performed 5 months later demonstrates resolution of the activity within the breast, increased uptake in the bone marrow consistent with post treatment effect (black arrow) and persistent increased uptake in the adrenal glands (yellow arrow), confirming benign physiological activity (c)

Fig. 6

¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in a 50-year-old woman with inflammatory breast cancer. Diffuse increased FDG uptake is noted within the right breast (yellow arrow) and in a right axillary node (black arrow), consistent with malignancy (a). Increased symmetrical uptake is also noted within both adrenal glands with no abnormal correlate on CT (yellow arrow) (b). Post-chemotherapy PET-CT performed 5 months later demonstrates resolution of the activity within the breast, increased uptake in the bone marrow consistent with post treatment effect (black arrow) and persistent increased uptake in the adrenal glands (yellow arrow), confirming benign physiological activity (c)

Fig. 7

¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT restaging scan performed in a 65-year-old female with a history of breast cancer. Incidental focal uptake is identified in the ascending colon where some abnormal thickening is seen on the CT component (yellow arrow). Colonoscopy confirmed the presence of a T3 adenocarcinoma

Fig. 8

A 3.5-year-old boy with abdominal Burkitt's lymphoma. Coronal ¹⁸F-FDG PET scan obtained 5 months after completion of treatment shows increased activity in the thymus in an inverted V configuration and in superior thymic extension (white arrow). Note physiologic activity within the right neck in the sternocleidomastoid muscle (a). Axial CT image from the same ¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT study performed 5 months after treatment shows a nodule (white arrow) anteromedial to the left brachiocephalic vein (b). Axial fusion image shows that the FDG activity in the superior mediastinum corresponds to this enlarged nodule anteromedial to left brachiocephalic vein (white arrow) (c). Axial fusion image shows increased activity in an enlarged thymus consistent with thymic hyperplasia (white arrow; standardized uptake value 3.0) of similar intensity to activity in superior mediastinum (d)

Fig. 9

¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in a 46-year-old male post four cycles of chemotherapy for lymphoma and 2 weeks post administration of G-CSF. Note the diffuse homogeneous increased uptake throughout the bone marrow and the increased uptake in the spleen (yellow arrow)

Fig. 10

¹⁸F18-FDG PET-CT performed in a 52-year-old male with newly diagnosed esophageal carcinoma. Increased FDG uptake is identified within the esophagus (black arrow) and an upper abdominal lymph node (yellow arrow), consistent with malignancy (a). ¹⁸F18-FDG PET-CT performed 6 weeks post-completion of radiotherapy for esophageal carcinoma. Linear increased uptake is identified along the mediastinum in the radiation port (black arrow). This corresponds to areas of ground-glass change on CT (yellow arrow) consistent with acute radiation change (b)

Fig. 11

¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in a 57-year-old male 2 weeks following chemotherapy for lung cancer. Increased FDG uptake is noted within the cecum (black arrow). On CT there is some thickening of the cecal wall and stranding of the pericecal fat (yellow arrow) consistent with typhilits

Fig. 12

¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in a 69-year-old male with a history of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The patient had a previous talc pleurodesis for a persistent left pleural effusion. Increased FDG activity is identified within the left pleura (black arrow). CT demonstrates a pleural effusion with high density material along the left pleural surface consistent with talc (yellow arrow)

Fig. 13

¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in a 46-year-old gentleman with a history of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Increased FDG uptake is identified in the right proximal humerus (black arrow). CT of the area demonstrates a corresponding vague area of sclerosis (yellow arrow). Biopsy of the area yielded osteonecrosis with no evidence of metastatic disease

Fig. 14

¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in a 46-year-old female, 3 years post-chemo-radiation for cervical carcinoma. Low grade FDG uptake is identified in the left acetabulum and right pubic bone (black arrow). CT demonstrates pathological fractures in these areas consistent with insufficiency fractures (yellow arrow)

Fig. 15

¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in a 67-year-old male for restaging of laryngeal carcinoma. Increased FDG uptake is noted in the left lower neck and left mediastinum (black arrow). CT demonstrates lymphadenopathy in these areas (yellow arrow), some of which are calcified. Biopsy of the left lower neck node confirmed sarcoidosis

Fig. 16

¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in a 52-year-old female with breast cancer and chronic hepatitis. On the CT component a hyper-enhancing mass is identified in segment 4 of the liver (yellow arrow). No increased FDG activity is identified in this area on the PET component. Biopsy of the mass confirmed the diagnosis of a hepatocellular carcinoma

Fig. 17

Staging ¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT performed in a 45-year-old female with newly diagnosed breast cancer. CT demonstrates multiple small sclerotic foci in the spine and pelvis (yellow arrow), consistent with bony metastases. These are FDG negative on the PET component of the study