Open AccessUsefulness of 11C-methionine positron emission tomography for detecting intracranial ameloblastic carcinoma: A case report
Author(s) -
Akira Tempaku,
Yusuke Takahashi,
Hidetoshi Ikeda,
Shigeru Yamauchi,
Takashi Gotoh,
Nobuyuki Bandoh,
Syujirou Makino,
Takuji Shimada,
Hajime Kamada
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
oncology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.766
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1792-1082
pISSN - 1792-1074
DOI - 10.3892/ol.2014.2352
Subject(s) - medicine , positron emission tomography , radiology , magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear medicine
Ameloblastic carcinoma, secondary type, is an extremely rare odontogenic malignant tumor. The present study reports the case of a 58-year-old male with ameloblastic carcinoma that extended into the intracranial space close to the internal carotid artery. Surgical excision was performed, as headaches were being caused via compression by the mass. Small remnants of the tumor remained surrounding the internal carotid artery following surgical resection. Although the remnant tissue was not detected on magnetic resonance imaging or 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET), it was clearly visualized on 11 C-methionine PET in the early post-operative follow-up period. No neurological deficits were exhibited during the follow-up period, and 11 C-methionine PET was able to detect the remnant lesion distribution in the intracranial space. The current study presents a rare case of ameloblastic carcinoma that extended into the intracranial space. In addition, several diagnostic imaging tools were compared in order to determine the most suitable imaging modality. At present, the patient is continuing a therapeutic course of radiation and evident mass reduction has been observed. However, the therapeutic effects are currently under consideration. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the effectiveness of using 11 C-methionine PET for detecting ameloblastic carcinoma with intracranial extension.