Ipilimumab-Induced Adrenalitis: A Possible Pitfall in 18F-FDG-PET/CT

Clin Nucl Med. 2015 Nov;40(11):e518-9. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0000000000000887.

Abstract

Ipilimumab is a monoclonal antibody against the inhibitory CTLA-4 receptor expressed on T cells. It provokes an upregulation of the immune system. This substance was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2011 and is since increasingly used as a targeted therapeutic approach for metastasized melanoma. Ipilimumab is known to cause neuroendocrine disorders, such as hypophysitis and adrenal insufficiency. Our case of a 79-year-old patient represents an important imaging pitfall. Imaging findings of newly symmetrically and smoothly enlarged, hypermetabolic adrenal glands in the setting of previous ipilimumab therapy represent drug-induced adrenalitis and not metastatic disease.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adrenocortical Hyperfunction / chemically induced
  • Adrenocortical Hyperfunction / diagnostic imaging*
  • Aged
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / adverse effects*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / adverse effects*
  • False Positive Reactions
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
  • Humans
  • Ipilimumab
  • Male
  • Melanoma / diagnostic imaging*
  • Melanoma / drug therapy
  • Melanoma / pathology
  • Multimodal Imaging
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Positron-Emission Tomography*
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Ipilimumab
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18