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| LETTER TO EDITOR |
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| Year : 2021 | Volume
: 35
| Issue : 3 | Page : 126 |
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Characteristics of COVID-19 vaccine-associated hypermetabolic lymphadenopathy, a new problem in cancer screening by 18F-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography: A preliminary summary
Rujittika Mungmunpuntipantip1, Viroj Wiwanitkit2
1 Private Academic Consultant, Bangkok, Thailand
2 Department of Community Medicine, Dr. DY Patil University, Pune, Maharashtra, India
| Date of Submission | 06-Jul-2021 |
| Date of Decision | 08-Aug-2021 |
| Date of Acceptance | 09-Aug-2021 |
| Date of Web Publication | 15-Jun-2022 |
Correspondence Address:
Rujittika Mungmunpuntipantip
Private Academic Consultant, Bangkok
Thailand
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jms.jms_83_21
How to cite this article:
Mungmunpuntipantip R, Wiwanitkit V. Characteristics of COVID-19 vaccine-associated hypermetabolic lymphadenopathy, a new problem in cancer screening by 18F-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography: A preliminary summary. J Med Soc 2021;35:126 |
How to cite this URL:
Mungmunpuntipantip R, Wiwanitkit V. Characteristics of COVID-19 vaccine-associated hypermetabolic lymphadenopathy, a new problem in cancer screening by 18F-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography: A preliminary summary. J Med Soc [serial online] 2021 [cited 2022 Jul 2];35:126. Available from: https://www.jmedsoc.org/text.asp?2021/35/3/126/347645 |
Sir,
Effect of COVID-19 vaccination on cancer screening is an important issue in clinical oncology. False-positive axillary lymph node, vaccine-associated hypermetabolic lymphadenopathy (VAHL) from 18F-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography cancer screening, following administration of a COVID-19 vaccine is possible.[1],[2],[3] In addition, an equivocal undifferentiated result between malignancy and benign lesion might occur and lead to difficulty in cancer diagnosis.[4] It is suggested that cancer screening should be done before vaccination or many weeks after vaccination.[5]
Here, the authors retrospectively summarize on available data on characteristics of VAHL on 270 cases. All VAHL cases are ipsilateral to vaccine injection side. Lymph node enlargement and visible injection site are observed in 39 (14.44%) and 100 (37.03%) cases, respectively. Most cases (77.04%) have less than Grade II intensity of uptake (maximum standardized uptake value <4). Based on this analysis, it can show that VAHL from cancer screening might occur in a case with ipsilateral mild-to-moderate intense hypermetabolic lymphadenopathy regardless of lymph node enlargement or visible injection site. Further comparative study with a nonvaccinated group is recommended for finding a differential diagnosis cut-off.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | |  |
| 1. | Ahmed N, Muzaffar S, Binns C, Ilyas MW, Usmani S. COVID-19 vaccination manifesting as incidental lymph nodal uptake on 18F-FDG PET/CT. Clin Nucl Med 2021;46:435-6.  |
| 2. | Nawwar AA, Searle J, Hopkins R, Lyburn ID. False-positive axillary lymph nodes on FDG PET/CT resulting from COVID-19 immunization. Clin Nucl Med 2021;46:1004-5. |
| 3. | Avner M, Orevi M, Caplan N, Popovtzer A, Lotem M, Cohen JE. COVID-19 vaccine as a cause for unilateral lymphadenopathy detected by 18F-FDG PET/CT in a patient affected by melanoma. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2021;48:2659-60. |
| 4. | Cohen D, Krauthammer SH, Wolf I, Even-Sapir E. Hypermetabolic lymphadenopathy following administration of BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 vaccine: Incidence assessed by [(18)F]FDG PET-CT and relevance to study interpretation. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2021;48:1854-63. |
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