title: Potential prognostic implications of whole-body bone marrow MRI in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients with a negative blind bone marrow biopsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prognostic implications of whole-body bone marrow MRI findings in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients with a negative blind bone marrow biopsy (BMB).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-eight patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL and negative blind BMB prospectively underwent whole-body MRI (T1-weighted, T2-weighted short inversion time inversion recovery, and diffusion-weighted sequences), which were scored as positive or negative for lymphomatous bone marrow involvement. Proportions of patients who experienced disease relapse/progression or died during follow-up were calculated and compared between whole-body MRI-positive and whole-body MRI-negative patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median follow-up time of surviving patients was 973 days (range, 391-1655 days). Disease relapse/progression occurred in 33% (5/15) of patients with a positive whole-body MRI and in 13% (3/23) of patients with a negative whole-body MRI. In addition, 20% (3/15) of patients with a positive whole-body MRI died during follow-up, compared with 9% (2/23) of patients with a negative whole-body MRI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study show that disease relapse or progression and death may occur more frequently in whole-body MRI-positive patients than in whole-body MRI-negative patients, which suggests that whole-body bone marrow MRI findings in DLBCL patients with a negative BMB may have prognostic implications.
authors: Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Hugo J A
authors: HJ
authors: Adams
authors: Thomas C
authors: TC
authors: Kwee
authors: Henk M
authors: HM
authors: Lokhorst
authors: Peter E
authors: PE
authors: Westerweel
authors: Rob
authors: R
authors: Fijnheer
authors: Marie José
authors: MJ
authors: Kersten
authors: Helena M
authors: HM
authors: Verkooijen
authors: Jaap
authors: J
authors: Stoker
authors: Rutger A J
authors: RA
authors: Nievelstein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D051598:Whole Body Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: bone marrow biopsy; diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; prognosis; whole-body MRI