Detection of COVID-19 Incidentally in 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT for Restaging of Prostate Cancer

Abstract

Background: A series of pneumonia cases with clinical presentations of viral pneumonia secondary to new coronavirus and subsequent global transmission arose in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019. Several cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been described incidentally in positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) with 18Ffluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) as a result of the pandemic. Herein, we describe the findings of a patient with unknown COVID-19 in PET/CT with the other radiopharmaceutical, 68Ga-labeled prostatespecific membrane antigen (68Ga-PSMA). Case Report: A 69-year-old man had previously undergone radical prostatectomy for adenocarcinoma. 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT imaging was performed due to biochemical recurrence. 68Ga-PSMA uptake in the prostate bed suggestive of local recurrence was detected in PET/CT images. Also, bilateral groundglass opacities with slightly increased 68Ga-PSMA uptake were seen in the lungs, suspected of COVID-19. A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test has confirmed the infection. Conclusion: Even in asymptomatic patients, nuclear medicine departments must be aware of the possibility of COVID-19, take appropriate post-exposure procedures, and protect employees and other patients.