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Dermoid cyst with secretion of CA 19-9 detected by 18F-FDG PET/CT: A case report
Sheng-Che Lin1,2, Ruoh-Fang Yen3, Yen-Kung Chen1,2
1Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital.
Introduction:
Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) is a tumor glycolipid, frequently elevated in the serum of patients due to malignancies from gastrointestinal organs; in particular, the pancreas. This carbohydrate antigen is also expressed in benign diseases.
Patient Concerns:
A case of a 27-year-old female who has an unknown origin CA 19-9 elevation for 2 years.
Diagnosis:
After the left ovarian cystectomy and microscopic examination, the final diagnosis is a dermoid cyst. The dermoid cyst shows increased F-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) uptake in the F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) study.
Intervention And Outcomes:
The laparoscopic oophorocystectomy was performed. It was observed that the patient's CA 19-9 level returned to normal after the surgery 6 months later. This showed that the dermoid cyst was responsible for the abnormal CA 19-9 level.
Conclusion:
In this case, we can learn that the F-FDG PET/CT scan has potential use in patients with unknown origin of elevation CA 19-9.
