Imaging characteristics of abdominal tumor in association with paraneoplastic pemphigus

The purpose of this study was to report the imaging manifestations of tumor associated with PNP. Imaging features of abdominal tumor associated with PNP in 6 cases were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were given PET/CT (n = 1) or multidetector CT (n = 5) examination. Six cases of PNP were associated with hyaline-vascular type Castleman's disease. Calcification was revealed in 2 cases. One case showed heterogeneous FDG uptake on PET. Among the 5 cases receiving a dynamic enhanced CT scan, inhomogeneous marked enhancement (n = 3) or moderate enhancement (n = 2) with hypo-attenuation areas of patchy shape were presented in the arterial phase. Three cases showed persistent enhancement in equilibrium and delayed phases, and intratumoral hypo-attenuation areas which pathologically proved to be an abundance of fibrotic components which gradually disappeared. PNP is a relatively rare special type of pemphigus, with distinctive clinical and pathological manifestations. Imaging examination plays important role in the detection and qualitative diagnosis of abdominal tumors associated with PNP.