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Updated: Sep 16, 2025

Analysis of 18FDG PET/CT Imaging as a Tool for Studying Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection and Treatment in Non-human Primates
Published on: September 5, 2017
18FDG PET/CT is Sensitive but not Specific for Malignancy: Two Cases of Disseminated Tuberculosis Mimicking
Maxime Collin1, Bruno Krug2, Marie-Cécile Nollevaux3
1Department of Oncology, CHU UCL Namur - site Godinne, Yvoir, Belgium.
Introduction:
18Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18FDG PET/CT) scan is widely used in the evaluation of suspected tumoral processes. In addition to its oncological applications, it is also employed in the diagnosis and follow-up of various conditions, including multiorgan tuberculosis.
Case Description:
We report a case series of two young patients with exclusive extrapulmonary disseminated tuberculosis that mimicked a neoplastic process both clinically and on 18FDG PET/CT imaging. Initially, both patients were admitted to the oncology unit with a presumed diagnosis of cancer. However, following an exhaustive work-up, a definitive diagnosis of tuberculosis was established via histopathological and microbiological analysis.
Conclusion:
These cases underscore the importance of considering disseminated tuberculosis as a differential diagnosis during oncologic evaluations, especially in patients from endemic regions, and highlight the potential psychological impact of prematurely labelling a condition as cancer.
Learning Points:
Extrapulmonary tuberculosis can mimic metastatic malignancies.Imaging does not replace pathology, which remains the gold standard for accurately diagnosing multiorgan involvement.Prematurely announcing a diagnosis of cancer before final confirmation can have significant psychological consequences.
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