Bulgarian Society of Dermatology

Journal of Clinical & Experimental Dermatology Research

Multiple Benign Papillomas with Unexpected Uptake on PET Scanning

Abstract

Author(s): Capewell N, Ford A, Diep P

79 year old lady with newly diagnosed lung adenocarcinoma which was felt to be operable. She underwent a PET/CT which showed localised disease in the lung, but also highlighted several cutaneous lesions. She was referred to dermatology for diagnosis and biopsy to exclude cutaneous deposits of tumour. There was a past history of a previous lung adenocarcinoma excised in 2015. Examination showed several wart-like, papillomatous lesions to the skin, not typical of secondary deposits of tumour. Shave biopsy of a representative lesion was taken and histology showed a benign squamous papilloma. At review in oncology, the remaining lesions had completely resolved a few weeks later. There have been case reports of benign lesions showing unexpected FDG uptake. This case highlights the phenomenon and the need to obtain timely tissue diagnosis to prevent potentially life-saving treatment such as surgery in this case.