(18)F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography for preoperative planning in a rare case of hyperfunctional bilateral adrenocortical carcinoma and review of literatures

Adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare aggressive endocrine tumor with poor prognosis. About 60% of ACC are functional tumors. Bilateral ACC is extremely rare, roughly 2%–10% of cases. Diagnosis and staging of ACC by imaging modalities are crucial for preoperative planning and prognostication. Detection of hyperfunctional bilateral adrenocortical carcinoma by 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F- FDG PET/CT) has never been reported. Herein, we report a male patient who presented with Cushing's syndrome, type II diabetes mellitus due to Cushing's syndrome, and hypogonadism with biopsy confirmed left ACC. He underwent (18)F-FDG PET/CT to evaluate the contralateral adrenal mass and to plan for laparoscopic adrenalectomy, which subsequently confirmed bilateral ACC. Furthermore, (18)F-FDG PET/CT was useful in staging, which revealed paraaortic lymph node and lung metastasis.