Bacillus Calmette-Guerin injections for melanoma immunotherapy: potential for a false-positive PET/CT

Clin Nucl Med. 2015 Apr;40(4):368-9. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0000000000000718.

Abstract

An 82-year-old woman presented for routine follow-up PET/CT after undergoing local melanoma resection in the left lower leg, isolated limb infusion chemotherapy, and immunomodulation therapy with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine. Symmetric, bilateral, moderately intense FDG avid axillary and inguinal cutaneous nodules were observed that were new from the prior PET-CT. The patient had developed skin lesions at the BCG injection sites several months before the study. The case raises awareness to PET/CT appearance of local inflammatory response to BCG injection, which could be mistaken by an unaware reader for recurrent melanoma.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged, 80 and over
  • BCG Vaccine / adverse effects*
  • BCG Vaccine / therapeutic use
  • False Positive Reactions
  • Female
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy
  • Melanoma / diagnostic imaging*
  • Melanoma / therapy
  • Melanoma, Cutaneous Malignant
  • Multimodal Imaging*
  • Radionuclide Imaging
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Skin Neoplasms
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*

Substances

  • BCG Vaccine
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18