Breast Cancer Synchronism With Lung Cryptococcosis: A Case Report

Abstract

Pulmonary metastasis is common among patients with breast cancer, and 18-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is a useful diagnostic tool for identifying breast cancer with metastatic lesions. However, inflammation or infection can often interfere with diagnosis. We report on a 53-year-old female whose diagnosis included malignant breast cancer concurrent with lung cryptococcosis. A PET retention index greater than 10% has been used as a cutoff for malignancy; however, the retention index is not useful for differentiation if the initial standard uptake value is low. As such, a pathologic diagnosis should be considered.




J Med Cases. 2013;4(9):605-607
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4021/jmc1406w