FDG PET/CT Appearance of Benign Pilomatricoma

Abstract

A 56-year-old patient was referred for FDG PET/CT with a right preauricular lymph node fine-needle biopsy, suggesting poorly differentiated carcinoma and no obvious primary lesion. There was intense FDG uptake in the right preauricular nodule. The node was excised, and formal histology demonstrated a benign pilomatricoma rather than malignancy. Pilomatricoma is uncommon in adults and an unusual cause for marked FDG uptake, likely due to foreign body inflammation. Pilomatricoma can be either benign or malignant. The marked FDG uptake demonstrated in our patient with benign pilomatricoma also suggests that FDG PET cannot reliably grade this rare condition.

FDG-PET positive pilomatrixoma — reconsidering multicentricity in Langerhans cell histiocytosis

“…A June 2013 MEDLINE literature search using the keywords pilomatrixoma and positron emission tomography retrieved two articles reporting on three adult patients with a solitary, metabolically active mass located in the head and neck area and initially mistaken for a carcinoma according to fine needle biopsy [4,5]. The herein presented case of unicentric Langerhans cell histiocytosis coinciding with FDG-PET positive pilomatrixoma demonstrates a possible oncologic pitfall for the clinicians underlined by the rarity of both these entities.…”

Ulcerated giant pilomatricoma with appearance of cutaneous malignancy on positron emission tomography/computed tomography

“…2 Furthermore, positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) is limited in its precise evaluation of malignant potential. [3][4][5] Here, we describe a case of a rapidly progressing, ulcerated giant pilomatricoma mimicking cutaneous malignancy.…”

Pilomatricoma of the scalp mimicking poorly differentiated cutaneous carcinoma on positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan and fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology

“… 3 , 4 , 5 Fludeoxyglucose (FDG) avidity of these lesions at the time of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan can also raise concern for a malignant process. 3 , 6 Clinical suspicion must remain high, and appropriate biopsy techniques should be used to avoid the misdiagnosis of pilomatricoma.…”