Metastatic Prostate Cancer with Pulmonary Involvement Mimicking Pneumonia: Findings on 18F-FDG PET/CT and 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT
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26 November 2025

Metastatic Prostate Cancer with Pulmonary Involvement Mimicking Pneumonia: Findings on 18F-FDG PET/CT and 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT

Mol Imaging Radionucl Ther. Published online 26 November 2025.
1. University of Health Sciences Türkiye Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Clinic of Nuclear Medicine, Ankara, Türkiye
No information available.
No information available
Received Date: 02.09.2025
Accepted Date: 08.10.2025
E-Pub Date: 26.11.2025
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Abstract

A 68-year-old man with progressive exertional dyspnea after an upper respiratory tract infection underwent contrast-enhanced thorax computed tomography (CT) to exclude pulmonary thromboembolism. The radiological findings suggested pneumonia or alveolar edema. 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT (18F-FDG PET) scan was conducted due to progressive radiological findings. It revealed increased FDG uptake in the prostate gland, mediastinal, abdominopelvic multiple lymph nodes and bilateral lung lesions. 68Ga- prostate-specific membrane antigen-11 (PSMA) PET/CT scan was performed due to low FDG uptake in the lymph nodes and elevated plasma total prostate-specific antigen values. Moderate to high PSMA uptake corresponded to the localizations of FDG uptake on PET/CT. Furthermore, histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations demonstrated that the bilateral lung lesions and bilateral pleural effusion were compatible with metastases from prostate adenocarcinoma.

Keywords:
Prostate cancer, 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT, pulmonary lymphangitic spread, pleural metastasis, pneumonia, 18F-FDG PET/CT

Ethics

Informed Consent: Written informed consent was obtained from the patient.

Authorship Contributions

Surgical and Medical Practices: N.A.D., Concept: E.T., A.N.Ç., Ö.Ö., Data Collection or Processing: E.T., A.Ç., Analysis or Interpretation: N.A.D., Ö.Ö., Literature Search: A.Ç., B.B., Writing: N.A.D.
Conflict of Interest: No conflicts of interest were declared by the authors.
Financial Disclosure: The authors declare that this study has received no financial support.

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