Whole-body 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography images before and after chemotherapy for Kaposi sarcoma and highly active antiretrovirus therapy

Jpn J Radiol. 2010 Dec;28(10):759-62. doi: 10.1007/s11604-010-0481-6. Epub 2010 Dec 30.

Abstract

Kaposi sarcoma is an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related disease that mainly involves the skin, gastrointestinal gut, and lungs. Whole-body 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography and computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) scanning is useful for simultaneous detection of multiple lesions of Kaposi sarcoma. We present a 67-year-old man with a history of infection with human immunodeficiency virus who presented with numerous cutaneous lesions. FDG-PET/CT images showed lesions in the skin, lung, and lymph nodes. The gastrointestinal lesions were detected using gastric fiberscopy (GF) and colon fiberscopy (CF). After Kaposi sarcoma therapy, the uptake in the lesions of the skin, lung, and lymph nodes decreased, but new lesions were detected in the pancreas and lumbar spine. He had pancreatitis and Candida spondilitis. Whole-body FDG-PET/CT is useful for detecting lesions and determining the extension to which the disease has spread, adding the gastrointestinal lesions by GF and CF. After therapy, FDG-PET/CT can be used to demonstrate which lesions remain active and to determine the overall response to treatment. In this case, we show how useful FDG-PET/CT is and how difficult it is to treat Kaposi sarcoma.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active*
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18*
  • HIV Infections / complications
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Multiple Organ Failure
  • Pancreatitis / complications
  • Positron-Emission Tomography / methods*
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Sarcoma, Kaposi / complications
  • Sarcoma, Kaposi / diagnosis*
  • Sarcoma, Kaposi / drug therapy
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed / methods*
  • Whole Body Imaging / methods*

Substances

  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18