Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography False Positivity for Xanthogranulomatous Inflammation in an Adolescent with Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Although positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is a sensitive tool for Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) staging and response evaluation, its role in early detection of disease relapse remains controversial. A high false positivity of routine PET/CT during follow-up may result in unnecessary treatment of HL patients who are in complete remission. Here we report a 15-year-old boy who had a false positive PET/CT result during his follow-up. Debulking surgery was performed for the suspicious lesion, which showed xanthogranulomatous inflammation, fibrosis, old hemorrhage and fibrous adhesion of thymic tissue and pleura, but no residual tumor cells. One year after the surgery, this patient remained well without any evidence of disease relapse. Our case shows that PET/CT could provide false positive imaging in HL patients who are in complete remission after treatment. Tissue biopsy remains the really necessary tool of confirming disease relapse in patients with HL.