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CC BY 4.0 · World J Nucl Med 2025; 24(01): 071-074
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1791694
Case Report

FDG-PET/CT Avid Uptake of a Biopsy-Proven Aggressive Melanotic Schwannoma of the S2 Spinal Nerve Root

Mohammed A. Azab 
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
,
Hamid Abdelma'aboud Mostafa
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
,
Oday Atallah
2   Department of Neurosurgery, Hannover School of Medicine, Hannover, Germany
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Abstract

Malignant melanotic nerve sheath tumors (MMNSTs), also known as a melanocytic schwannoma (MS), are a rare type of peripheral nerve sheath tumors including Schwann cells with melanocytic differentiation. Only a few cases of spinal MMNST have been reported in literature. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT) could be used to detect these lesions. A 70-year-old man with a 6-month history of backache was admitted to our hospital. PET/CT showed a paravertebral soft tissue mass along the spinal nerve at the S2 level with strong FDG uptake, and a nodule with increased FDG uptake in the right lobe of the left liver. A CT-guided biopsy of the S2 lesion was performed. The final diagnosis was spinal MS with hepatic metastasis. The patient received stereotactic body radiation therapy. Herein, we report the PET/CT findings of a case of MS with hepatic metastasis. FDG-PET/CT is helpful in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant lesions although nonspecific.

Keywords

melanocytic schwannoma - FDG-PET/CT - MMNST

Authors' Contributions

M.A. contributed to designing the idea and manuscript writing, O.A. contributed to the images preparation and the final review, and H.M. contributed to the literature review, table preparation, and article editing.


Ethical Approval

The research/study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Cairo University Hospital, number CU1335, and dated January 10, 2024.


Declaration of Patient Consent

The authors certify that they have obtained all appropriate patient consent.




Publication History

Article published online:
08 October 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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