21 Apr 2017
Source:
Blood Cancer J. 2017 Apr 21;7(4):e556.
Eslick R, Dunlop L, Lin M, Hsu D, Ling S.
Abstract
18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET)
scans are typically positive in patients with T cell non-Hodgkin
lymphoma (T-NHL) and can assist in the diagnosis and staging of
this uncommon malignancy. Previous studies have suggested that
FDG-PET is a useful tool in initial staging of T-NHL; however, there
is relatively little evidence for the role of the post-treatment FDG-PET
in this patient population. Some published studies support
the role of a negative post-treatment PET in predicting
progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), while
other studies have found that a negative interim or post-treatment
PET does not predict outcome. Recently published
guidelines remain ambivalent about the utility of the PET scan in
T-NHL, stating ‘there is no clearly defined role for FDG-PET in this
disease group’. We aimed to evaluate the predictive value of
interim and post-treatment PET scans in T-NHL to determine their
effect on PFS and OS.