18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose-Avid Benign Anthracotic Mediastinal Lymphadenitis Mimicking Metastatic Lymphadenopathy

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 16; no. 5; p. e59614
• Main Authors: Giri, Suprabhat, Kumar, Lohith, Mane, Kiran, Uppin, Megha S, Bhrugumalla, Sukanya, Sundaram, Sridhar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 03-05-2024; Cureus
• Subjects: Biomass energy; Biopsy; Cancer; Coal; Dust; Endoscopy; Esophagus; Gallbladder; Gastroenterology; Histopathology; Lymphatic system; Metastasis; Nuclear Medicine; Patients; Pulmonology; Tomography; Tuberculosis; Ultrasonic imaging; India; 18-fdg pet-ct; fine needle biopsy; endoscopic ultrasound; mediastinal lymph nodes; anthracosis
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.59614

The staging of malignancy is critical for its effective management. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging is a common modality for malignancy staging, which identifies areas of FDG avidity. However, multiple benign etiologies can cause false-positive 18F FDG-avid nodes. Among these, extrapulmonary involvement of anthracosis in the form of lymphadenopathy is a rare entity. In patients with concomitant malignancies, the presence of 18F FDG-avid anthracotic lymph nodal enlargement may mimic nodal metastasis. Endosonography-guided tissue acquisition may help differentiate between the two. Herein, we describe six cases of FDG-avid benign anthracotic lymphadenitis detected during staging workups for patients with malignancies who later underwent curative resection.