Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma Masquerades as Peritoneal Metastasis on (18)F-FDG PET/CT Scans; a Rare Diagnosis that Should Not Be Missed

Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2015 December [Link]

Claimon A, Bang JI, Cheon GJ, Kim EE, Lee DS.

Abstract

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare but fatal tumor. The clinical presentations and imaging findings are nonspecific and resemble various diseases, including peritoneal metastasis. Imaging findings of MPH on (18)F-(18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) are diverse and not well described. We report the two cases of biopsy-proven MPH using (18)F-FDG PET/CT. In our cases, interesting disease patterns-including MPH arising from visceral peritoneal lining of kidney that suffer from polycystic disease and from the parietal peritoneum beneath the appendectomy scar-were presented. One case showed classical metastases localized within the abdominal cavity; while the other case exhibited the rare pattern of extensive multi-organ metastases. By knowing the possible variations and diagnostic pitfalls of (18)F-FDG PET/CT findings in MPM, more accurate interpretation of such mysterious cancer is attainable.