Conversion From FDG-Negative to -Positive During Follow-Up in a Rare Case of Pulmonary Lymphoepithelioma-Like Carcinoma

• DOI: 10.1097/rlu.0b013e31823ea953
• Publication Date: 2012-06-13T01:42:30Z
• Authors: Daniel H. Y. Shen; Cheng-Yi Cheng; Li-Fan Lin; Hong-Wei Gao; Yueng-Long Cheng; Ching-Yuan Chen
• Keywords: Lung Neoplasms; Lymphoma; Multimodal Imaging; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Positron-Emission Tomography; Humans; Female; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Aged; Follow-Up Studies

A female patient aged 75 years presented with an incidental pulmonary nodule without FDG uptake when undergoing FDG PET/CT. Without obtaining histologic diagnosis, the follow-up FDG PET/CT 2 years later demonstrated intense FDG avidity within previously FDG-negative tumor. After surgery, the pathologic diagnosis is pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC). LELCs are unique because of histologic similarities with undifferentiated nasopharyngeal lymphoepithelioma and with a better prognosis as compared with other lung malignancies. However, the expression of FDG uptake in LELC has never been discussed. Herein, we describe a pulmonary LELC manifesting as a slowly growing tumor displaying conversion from FDG-negative to -positive avidity.