Detection of chordoma recurrence by F-18 FDG-PET/CT

Despite the relative success of surgical resection followed by proton, proton/photon, or conventional radiotherapy in terms of recurrence-free survival, chordomas are still associated with a high rate of recurrence. To our knowledge there are only very few reported cases of this rare tumor detected by F-18 FDG-PET. In this case we show the significance of F-18 FDG-PET/CT in detection of recurrent Chordoma in a 38 year old man with a history of the disease and a newly detected cervical lymphatic mass. The fused PET/CT images manifested the presence of two abnormal foci of tracer uptake corresponding to a retroclavicular and an infrajugular Lymph node proved to be metastases of the previous chordoma in histopathology. Further employment of F-18 FDG-PET/CT in this rare tumour type might eventually define and establish its value in staging of chordoma.