Warthin’s Tumor: A Diagnostic Challenge as a Metastatic Mimicker on Post-I-131 Therapy Scan
We present a rare case with an incidental finding of Warthin's tumour demonstrating I-131 uptake on a post-therapy whole-body scan in a patient treated for thyroid cancer with total thyroidectomy. The unexpected radioiodine concentration in the parotid region raised initial concern for metastatic disease, illustrating how non-thyroidal lesions can mimic pathological findings in post-ablative imaging. This case highlights a well-recognised diagnostic challenge in nuclear medicine: false-positive I-131 uptake. Differentiating benign radioiodine-avid lesions from true metastases is critical to prevent incorrect staging, unnecessary interventions, and inappropriate management decisions in thyroid cancer follow-up.
Authors
- Zamzam Al Bimani
- Fatma M Al Hajri
- Zakiya Al-Ajmi
- Naima Al Bulushi
Institutions
- Royal Hospital (OM)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cureus
- Published
- 2026-02-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.103721
- Primary Topic
- Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- University of Ottawa