Value of PET/CT versus PET and CT performed as separate investigations in patients with Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to assess the clinical benefit of combined [(18)F]FDG PET/CT in patients with malignant lymphoma as compared to separately performed PET and CT.


METHODS
Overall, 100 patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD) or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were included in this study. Co-registered PET/CT with [(18)F]FDG and contrast medium was performed in 50 consecutive patients with NHL (n=38) or HD (n=12) for initial staging (IS) (n=12) or re-treatment staging (RS) (n=38). Another 50 patients with NHL (n=32) or HD (n=18) underwent separate PET and CT investigations within a time frame of 10 days for IS (n=22) or RS (n=28). Lymphoma involvement was separately evaluated for seven different regions in each patient. Each patient had clinical follow-up evaluation for >6 months. PET and CT data were analysed separately as well as side-by-side or in fused mode.


RESULTS
In the PET/CT group, region-based evaluation for lymphoma involvement suggested a sensitivity/specificity of 85%/91% for CT, 98%/99% for PET and 98%/99% for PET/CT. In the PET and CT group, region-based evaluation showed a sensitivity/specificity of 87%/80% for CT, 98%/99% for PET and 98%/100% for PET and CT read side by side.


CONCLUSIONS
PET was superior to CT alone and was improved further by side-by-side reading of both examinations. However, no significant difference was observed between PET/CT and separate PET and CT imaging in patients with lymphoma.
la Fougère
Christian
C
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Munich, Germany. christian.lafougere@med.uni-muenchen.de
Hundt
Walter
W
Bröckel
Nicole
N
Pfluger
Thomas
T
Haug
Alexander
A
Scher
Bernhard
B
Hacker
Marcus
M
Hahn
Klaus
K
Reiser
Maximilan
M
Tiling
Reinhold
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*