Incidental finding of colon adenocarcinoma on I-131 whole body scan in a patient with recurrent papillary thyroid carcinoma.
- Author:
Puracan Lucille T.
;
Goco Gerard L.
;
Ongkeko Eduardo Erasto S.
- Publication Type:Case Reports
- MeSH: Human; Female; Aged; Whole Body Imaging; Thyroid cancer, papillary-Recurrence; Carcinoma
- From: The Philippine Journal of Nuclear Medicine 2015;10(2):53-56
- CountryPhilippines
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
?Iodine-131 (I-131) whole body scan is a procedure routinely done after radioactive iodine therapy. It helps detect presence of functioning thyroid tissue remnants in the neck, as well as distant metastases. However, not all that take up I-131 are of thyroidal origin. Our patient is a 74-year-old woman with recurrent papillary thyroid carcinoma, who underwent a repeat radioactive iodine therapy (RAIT). Her post-RAIT whole body scan showed an unusual iodine-avid focus in the transverse colon which was later confirmed to be another primary malignancy of colonic origin through colonoscopy with biopsy, as well as post-surgical histopathology. This case report distinctively demonstrates uptake of I-131 in extra-thyroidal malignancy. It also emphasizes the importance of evaluating carefully any irregular-looking focal iodine uptake in areas with seemingly physiologic activity on a routine I-131 whole body-scan.