TY - JOUR
T1 - Role of [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scan in the follow-up of lymphoma
AU - Zinzani, Pier Luigi
AU - Stefoni, Vittorio
AU - Tani, Monica
AU - Fanti, Stefano
AU - Musuraca, Gerardo
AU - Castellucci, Paolo
AU - Marchi, Enrica
AU - Fina, Mariapaola
AU - Ambrosini, Valentina
AU - Pellegrini, Cinzia
AU - Alinari, Lapo
AU - Derenzini, Enrico
AU - Montini, Giancarlo
AU - Broccoli, Alessandro
AU - Bacci, Francesco
AU - Pileri, Stefano
AU - Baccarani, Michele
PY - 2009/4/10
Y1 - 2009/4/10
N2 - Purpose In lymphoma, [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is routinely used for initial staging, early evaluation of treatment response, and identification of disease relapse. However, there are no prospective studies investigating the value of serial FDG-PET over time in patients in complete remission. Patients and Methods All patients with lymphoma who achieved the first complete remission were prospectively enrolled onto the study and scheduled for serial FDG-PET scans at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months; further scans were then carried out on an annual basis. Overall, the population included 421 patients (160 patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma [HL], 183 patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma [NHL], and 78 patients with indolent follicular NHL). All patients had a regular follow-up evaluation, including complete clinical and laboratory evaluation, and final assessment of any suspect FDG-PET findings using other imaging procedures (computed tomography [CT] scan) and/or biopsy and/or clinical evolution. FDG-PET findings were reported as positive for relapse, inconclusive (when equivocal), or negative for relapse. Results PET enabled documentation of lymphoma relapse in 41 cases at 6 months, in 30 cases at 12 months, in 26 cases at 18 months, in 10 cases at 24 months, and in 11 cases at more than 36 months. All 36 patients with inconclusive positive PET underwent biopsy; only 12 (33%) of 36 patients had a concomitant suggestion of positivity on CT. A lymphoma relapse was diagnosed in 24 (66%) of 36 patients. Conclusion Our results confirm FDG-PET as a valid tool for follow-up of patients with HL and NHL. In patients with inconclusive positive results, histologic confirmation plays an important role in identifying true relapse.
AB - Purpose In lymphoma, [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is routinely used for initial staging, early evaluation of treatment response, and identification of disease relapse. However, there are no prospective studies investigating the value of serial FDG-PET over time in patients in complete remission. Patients and Methods All patients with lymphoma who achieved the first complete remission were prospectively enrolled onto the study and scheduled for serial FDG-PET scans at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months; further scans were then carried out on an annual basis. Overall, the population included 421 patients (160 patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma [HL], 183 patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma [NHL], and 78 patients with indolent follicular NHL). All patients had a regular follow-up evaluation, including complete clinical and laboratory evaluation, and final assessment of any suspect FDG-PET findings using other imaging procedures (computed tomography [CT] scan) and/or biopsy and/or clinical evolution. FDG-PET findings were reported as positive for relapse, inconclusive (when equivocal), or negative for relapse. Results PET enabled documentation of lymphoma relapse in 41 cases at 6 months, in 30 cases at 12 months, in 26 cases at 18 months, in 10 cases at 24 months, and in 11 cases at more than 36 months. All 36 patients with inconclusive positive PET underwent biopsy; only 12 (33%) of 36 patients had a concomitant suggestion of positivity on CT. A lymphoma relapse was diagnosed in 24 (66%) of 36 patients. Conclusion Our results confirm FDG-PET as a valid tool for follow-up of patients with HL and NHL. In patients with inconclusive positive results, histologic confirmation plays an important role in identifying true relapse.
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U2 - 10.1200/JCO.2008.16.1513
DO - 10.1200/JCO.2008.16.1513
M3 - Article
C2 - 19273712
AN - SCOPUS:64649086758
VL - 27
SP - 1781
EP - 1787
JO - Journal of Clinical Oncology
JF - Journal of Clinical Oncology
SN - 0732-183X
IS - 11
ER -