Background: Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is an extremely rare malignant sarcoma, accounting for less than 1% of all soft-tissue sarcomas. However, limited information is available on multimodal imaging [computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission computed tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT)] of ASPS.
Case summary: This study reports a case of a 35-year-old female patient with ASPS of the left thigh with lung metastasis. The patient presented with a 1-year history of a palpable mass in the lower extremity, which exhibited rapid growth for 3 wk. CT, MRI, and F-deoxyglucose PET/CT examinations were performed. CT showed a slightly hypodense or isodense mass with patchy calcifications. On MRI examination, the mass manifested hyperintensity on T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and diffusion-weighted images with some signal voids. PET/CT images demonstrated an intensely hypermetabolic mass in the left thigh and hypermetabolic nodules in lungs.
Conclusion: ASPS should be considered as a possible diagnosis when a slow-growing mass is detected in the soft tissue of the extremities, with hyperintensity and numerous signal voids on T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and diffusion-weighted images and intense F-deoxyglucose uptake on PET/CT. ASPS can have calcifications on CT.
Keywords: Alveolar soft part sarcoma; Calcification; Case report; Magnetic resonance imaging; Positron emission computed tomography/computed tomography.
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