The role of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in monitoring the immunosuppressive therapy response of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor

PURPOSE: To compare the pre and post treatment 2-deoxy-2-[F-18]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG)positron emission tomography (PET) /computed tomography (CT) imaging findings of an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) with its clinical response to immunosuppressive therapy. PROCEDURE: Forty-nine-year-old female presented with dyspnea, chest pain, and weight loss and underwent an FDG-PET/CT scan before and after mediastinal biopsy and treatment with dexamethasone and thalidomide. RESULTS: FDG-PET/CT scan demonstrated a hypermetabolic mediastinal mass. The biopsy of the lesion was consistent with IMT. Following immunosuppressive therapy, the patient's clinical findings resolved, and PET/CT showed a significant decrease in the FDG uptake and the size of the mass. CONCLUSION: Pre-treatment imaging features and post-treatment imaging characteristics of IMT correlate with clinical findings and suggest that FDGPET/CT may be useful as an adjunct to clinical evaluation in monitoring of immunosuppressive therapy of IMT. 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.