Evaluating the efficacy of immunochemoradiotherapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma and distinguishing benign from malignant lymph nodes using 18F-FDG PET/CT and 18F-FAPI-04 PET/CT imaging: A case report
In this paper, we report a case of pleural mesothelioma, imaged employing 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), and 18F-fibroblast activating protein inhibitor (FAPI)-04 PET/CT. The diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma was confirmed by histopathologically examining the thoracoscopic biopsy. The patient underwent an 18F-FDG PET/CT before immunochemoradiotherapy, followed by an 18F-FAPI-04 imaging 3 months after treatment. The changes in focal anatomy, morphology, and metabolic biology observed between the two distinct PET/CT imaging modalities can aid in distinguishing benign and malignant lymph nodes and assessing treatment efficacy. This case highlights the diagnostic utility of 18F-FDG PET/C in pleural mesothelioma and suggests that 18F-FAPI-04 PET/CT may serve as an effective tool for evaluating the outcomes of immunochemotherapy. Moreover, the combined application of 18F-FDG PET/CT and 18F-FAPI-04 PET/CT holds promise for the differentiation of benign and malignant lymph nodes.
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