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A thyroid incidentaloma detected by 18F-choline PET/CT
Giorgio Treglia1, Elisabetta Giovannini, Paoletta Mirk
1From the *Institute of Nuclear Medicine, †Institute of Radiology, ‡Department of Surgery, Division of Endocrine Surgery, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome; and §Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
18F-choline PET/CT imaging detected an unexpected thyroid nodule, or incidentaloma, in a prostate cancer patient. Subsequent biopsy confirmed the thyroid incidentaloma was benign.
Area of Science:
- Nuclear Medicine
- Oncology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- 18F-choline Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) is utilized for prostate cancer staging and restaging.
- Incidentalomas are lesions discovered incidentally during medical imaging for other conditions.
Observation:
- A 66-year-old male patient with a history of prostate cancer underwent 18F-choline PET/CT for restaging purposes.
- The imaging revealed an area of increased 18F-choline uptake in the right lobe of the thyroid, corresponding to a hypodense nodule.
Findings:
- Fine-needle aspiration biopsy, guided by ultrasonography, was performed on the thyroid nodule.
- Histopathological analysis confirmed the presence of a benign thyroid nodule.
Implications:
- This case highlights the potential for 18F-choline PET/CT to detect thyroid incidentalomas in patients undergoing cancer evaluation.
- Awareness of this imaging characteristic is important for accurate interpretation and appropriate patient management, differentiating benign findings from potentially malignant lesions.
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