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False-positive positron emission tomography appearance with ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose after definitive radiotherapy for cancer of the mobile tongue

¹ Department of Radiation Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 461-8681 and ² Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Aichi-Gakuin University School of Dentistry, 2-11 Suemori-dori, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8651, Japan

Correspondence: Eiichiro Ariji, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Aichi-Gakuin University School of Dentistry,2-11 Suemori-dori, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8651, Japan. E-mail: ariji{at}dpc.agu.ac.jp

¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose–positron emission tomography (FDG–PET) is an effective tool for evaluating the results of radiotherapy. However, some false-positive appearances caused by physiological or pathological accumulation are reported. We report on three patients who showed a high accumulation of FDG in the lingual muscles but had no recurrent tumour after definitive radiotherapy for the mobile tongue. All patients had squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and received interstitial radiotherapy with small sources. High uptake was seen in the lingual muscles without recurrence or inflammation, based on physical and MR examinations. This false-positive appearance is thought to relate to ill-balanced high activity of the lingual muscles after definitive radiotherapy.