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©2013 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 21, 2013; 19(27): 4432-4436
Published online Jul 21, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i27.4432
Published online Jul 21, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i27.4432
Hepatic adenoma mimicking a metastatic lesion on computed tomography-positron emission tomography scan
Darryl Lim, Department of General Surgery, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore 169608, Singapore
Ser Yee Lee, Chung Yip Chan, Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary and Transplant Surgery, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore 169608, Singapore
Ser Yee Lee, Chung Yip Chan, Department of Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Centre, Singapore 169610, Singapore
Ser Yee Lee, Kiat Hon Lim, Chung Yip Chan, Duke-National University of Singapore (NUS) Graduate Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
Kiat Hon Lim, Department of Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore 169608, Singapore
Author contributions: Lim D and Lee SY wrote the manuscript and provided the images; Lim KH provided pathological expertise and the histological slide; Lee SY and Chan CY were involved in the management of the case and the critical review of the manuscript; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Correspondence to: Dr. Lee Ser Yee, MBBS, MMed, MSc, FRCS, FAMS, Consultant, Department of Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Centre, 11 Hospital Drive, Singapore 169610, Singapore. seryee@yahoo.com
Telephone: +65-643-68000 Fax: +65-622-57559
Received: April 2, 2013
Revised: May 15, 2013
Accepted: June 1, 2013
Published online: July 21, 2013
Revised: May 15, 2013
Accepted: June 1, 2013
Published online: July 21, 2013
Core Tip
Core tip: This case illustrates a unique example of a false-positive finding on the computed tomography- positron emission tomography (CT-PET) due to a hepatic adenoma mimicking a metastatic lesion in the liver. It serves to highlight that not all CT-PET findings are associated with malignancy. In equivocal cases where CT-PET findings are discordant with other imaging modalities and/or clinical/biochemical features, further evaluation with different imaging modalities or novel PET tracers may be considered. This is especially pertinent in this day and age, where the PET scan is widely used in clinical practise to differentiate benign from malignant lesions, as well as a modality in cancer surveillance and staging.