Whole-body 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) for accurate staging of Hodgkin's disease

• Published in: Annals of oncology Vol. 9; no. 10; pp. 1117 - 1122
• Main Authors: Bangerter, M., Moog, F., Buchmann, I., Kotzerke, J., Griesshammer, M., Hafner, M., Elsner, K., Frickhofen, N., Reske, S. N., Bergmann, .
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.10.1998
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Child; False Negative Reactions; False Positive Reactions; FDG-PET; Female; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Hodgkin Disease - diagnosis; Hodgkin Disease - diagnostic imaging; Hodgkin Disease - pathology; Hodgkin's disease; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous. Technology; Neoplasm Staging; Prospective Studies; Radionuclide investigations; Radiopharmaceuticals; staging; Tomography, Emission-Computed; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Human; Clinical stage; Lymphoproliferative syndrome; Fluorodopa(18F); Hodgkin disease; Malignant hemopathy; Whole body; Diagnosis; Lymphoma; Positron; Emission tomography
• ISSN: 0923-7534; 1569-8041
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1008486928190

Background: Staging of Hodgkin's disease (HD) is accomplished by a variety of invasive and non-invasive modalities. This prospective study was undertaken to investigate the value of whole-body positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) in defining regions involved by lymphoma compared with conventional staging methods in patients with HD. Patients and methods: Fourty-four newly diagnosed patients with HD underwent FDG-PET as part of their initial staging work-up. PET findings were correlated with findings of conventional staging including computed tomography, ultrasound, bone scanning, bone marrow biopsy, liver biopsy and laparotomy. When results of FDG-PET differed to those obtained by conventional methods reevaluation was performed by biopsy, if possible, or magnetic resonance imaging. Results: The results of FDG-PET were compared with three hundred twenty-one conventional staging procedures performed in 44 patients. FDG-PET was positive in 38 of 44 (86%) patients at sites of documented disease. PET detected additional lesions in five cases previously not identified by conventional staging methods. In another case a nodal lesion suspect on CT was negative at FDG-PET and was settled as true negative by biopsy. As a consequence of PET findings five patients had to be upstaged and one patient had to be down-staged, resulting in changes in treatment strategy in all six cases (14%). FDG-PET failed to visualize sites of HD in four patients. In two of our patients a false positive PET result was obtained. Conclusions: Our data indicate that FDG-PET provides an imaging technique that appears to visualize involved lesions in most patients with HD and is useful in the managment of these patients.