FDG PET Unveils the Course of Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration: A Semiquantitative Analysis

Clin Nucl Med. 2021 Jun 1;46(6):e327-e328. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0000000000003547.

Abstract

In paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD), the standard diagnostic workup might be inconclusive, especially in seronegative subtypes. Brain 18F-FDG PET is an accurate supportive diagnostic tool in immune-mediated disorders, but findings in PCD are controversial. Semiquantitative analysis of 18F-FDG PET can meaningfully assist visual assessment in different neurological conditions and has been mainly applied to disclose regional hypometabolism. We describe a seronegative PCD associated with small cell lung cancer in which 18F-FDG PET semiquantitative analysis accurately disclosed the longitudinal pathological changes of brain metabolism occurring in the acute and posttreatment remission stages and paralleling clinical impairment and response to treatment.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Female
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18*
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Lung Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration / diagnostic imaging*
  • Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration / metabolism
  • Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration / pathology
  • Positron-Emission Tomography*
  • Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / diagnostic imaging
  • Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / metabolism
  • Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / pathology

Substances

  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18