title: Role of functional imaging in the management of lymphoma.
abstract: 18-F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) -positron emission tomography (PET), and more recently PET/computed tomography (CT), is the most sensitive and specific imaging technique currently available for patients with lymphoma. Nevertheless, despite being increasingly used in pretreatment assessment, midtreatment evaluation of response, post-treatment restaging, and surveillance during follow-up of patients with lymphoma, its impact on clinical outcome in most clinical situations remains to be confirmed. PET/CT provides its greatest clinical benefit in the post-treatment evaluation of Hodgkin's lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; however, the role of metabolic imaging in other indications and in other histologies remains to be demonstrated. Ongoing risk-adapted studies will hopefully provide evidence for clinical improvement on the basis of altering treatment as a result of interim PET results. Efforts are ongoing to better standardize the conduct and interpretation of FDG-PET scans. FDG-PET has the potential to improve lymphoma patient management; however, its usefulness will likely vary by histology, stage, therapy, and clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology/Oncology, Georgetown University Hospital, 3800 Reservoir Rd, NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA. bdc4@georgetown.edu
authors.forename: Bruce D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Cheson
mesh_terms: D001856:Bone Marrow Examination; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D005710:Gallium Radioisotopes; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18