Magnetic resonance imaging for the assessment of residual masses after treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.
Eight patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who were in clinical remission but showed residual masses after therapy were examined with magnetic resonance imaging at 1.5 T at the end of therapy, with the sequences TR/TE:500/35,500/70,2000/35 and 2000/70. Residual masses were found in lymphoid areas (7), spleen (3) and kidney (1). In three patients, T2 showed high signal intensity. Disease progressed in the following 1-3 months and active lymphoma was histologically identified. In the other five patients, T2 showed a very low signal intensity. One of them had a distant relapse in lymphoid areas but the remaining four patients are asymptomatic after a mean follow-up time of 13 months, suggesting that the lymphoma is cured and the mass inactive. We conclude that magnetic resonance imaging seems to distinguish active from non-active residual masses after treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients otherwise in clinical remission.
Montalbán
C
C
Department of Internal Medicine, Hosptial Ramon y Cajal, Madrid, Spain.
Rodríguez-García
J L
JL
Mazairas
L
L
Ayala
I
I
Marcos-Robles
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012074:Remission Induction