Incidental detection of primary hepatocellular carcinoma on 18F-prostate-specific membrane antigen-1007 positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging in a patient with prostate cancer: A case report

Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 Oct 9;99(41):e22486. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000022486.

Abstract

Rationale: Prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography-computed tomography (F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT) imaging is an emerging method for the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PC), but its efficiency in detecting other accompanying diseases has rarely been investigated.

Patient concerns: A 77-year-old man presented with a complaint of bone pain throughout his entire body lasting for 2 weeks. Routine preoperative whole-body bone scanning revealed multiple osteogenic metastases. His alpha-fetoprotein and prostate-specific antigen levels were 108.2 ng/mL and 53.32 ng/mL, respectively. F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT imaging revealed high tracer uptake in the primary lesion in the liver and the peripheral zone of the prostate.

Diagnoses: Due to the results from imaging and pathological examinations, a diagnosis of PC with multiple bone metastases accompanied by primary hepatocellular carcinoma was made.

Interventions: Taking into consideration the patient's age, interventional therapy was performed for the liver lesion, whereas the prostate and bone lesions were treated with endocrine therapy.

Outcomes: The patient recovered well and was discharged uneventfully postoperatively. The patient was also doing well at the 6-month follow-up.

Lessons: PSMA-PET/CT imaging results must be interpreted cautiously when the uptake of PSMA increases in a single lesion instead of the most common sites of PC metastasis. Pathological examination of the suspected lesions is also recommended.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antigens, Surface
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / diagnostic imaging*
  • Fluorine Radioisotopes
  • Glutamate Carboxypeptidase II
  • Humans
  • Incidental Findings
  • Liver Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging*
  • Male
  • Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / diagnostic imaging*
  • Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography / methods*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms

Substances

  • Antigens, Surface
  • Fluorine Radioisotopes
  • FOLH1 protein, human
  • Glutamate Carboxypeptidase II
  • Fluorine-18