Positron emission tomography changes management, improves prognostic stratification and is superior to gallium scintigraphy in patients with low-grade lymphoma: results of a multicentre prospective study.

2008-10-18

Scott, Andrew M

Gunawardana, Dishan H

Wong, Joseph

Kirkwood, Ian

Hicks, Rodney J

Ho Shon, Ivan

Ramshaw, Jayne E

Robins, Peter

Journal Article

10.1007/s00259-008-0958-z

Positron emission tomography (PET) was evaluated in low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) to determine its impact on staging and management and to compare PET and gallium scans.PET resulted in management plan changes in 74 patients with untreated low-grade NHL stages I to III. Patient outcomes to 12 months were documented.PET identified additional lesions in 50% of patients, led to a change in stage in 32%, and had a significant impact on management in 34%. Inferior progression-free survival was noted in patients with additional lesions detected by PET (p=0.001) and in the 28% of patients upstaged by PET to stage III or IV (p=0.024). In a subset of 16 patients undergoing both PET and gallium scans, PET was found to be superior.PET has a major role in the management of low-grade NHL in addition to its proven role in aggressive lymphoma.

link

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2008; 36(3): 347-53

European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging