PET in malignant cardiac tumors: Diagnosis, approach, and follow up

Cardiac tumors are rare, contributing to a small number of all cardiac masses. Despite rarity, however, confronting cardiac masses of different natures are not an uncommon diagnostic dilemma. Nuclear medicine using positron emission tomography (PET), mostly by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose and integrated with anatomical imaging, reflects metabolic state of tissues as a biological marker, providing an efficient imaging tool for many clinical applications of different scenarios in oncology. Although the clinical role of molecular imaging has not yet been established in imaging workup of cardiac tumors, the growing literature indicates incremental value of PET in diagnosis and clinical management of this complex entity.