title: Post transplant lymphoproliferative disease in pediatric solid organ transplant patients: a possible role for [18F]-FDG-PET(/CT) in initial staging and therapy monitoring.
abstract: Post transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) is a severe complication after solid organ or bone marrow transplantation. In pediatric transplant recipients PTLD is the most common malignancy. The aim of this study was to evaluate a possible role for positron emission tomography with [18F]-2-fluoro-2-desoxy-glucose (FDG) in the initial staging and in therapy monitoring of pediatric patients suffering from biopsy-proven CD20-positive PTLD after solid organ transplantation. Seven pediatric patients were included. All available imaging studies - CT (n=15), MRI (n=16) and PET/PETCT (n=16) - were reviewed on a lesion by lesion base. The performance of FDG-PET in the initial staging and during therapy with a chimeric anti-CD20 antibody was compared to conventional cross sectional imaging and correlated with the clinical outcome. FDG-PET identified all sites of disease as shown by CT/MRI and helped to clarify the significance of equivocal findings. The initial stage of disease was correctly identified by FDG-PET alone when compared to CT/MRI. During therapy, FDG-PET was superior to conventional cross-sectional imaging in the early evaluation of response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (Medical School Hanover), Carl-Neuberg-Strasse 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany. Falck.Christian.von@mh-hannover.de
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: von Falck
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maecker
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schirg
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Boerner
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galanski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008232:Lymphoproliferative Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D016377:Organ Transplantation; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18