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Positron emission tomography changes management, improves prognostic stratification and is superior to gallium scintigraphy in patients with low-grade lymphoma: results of a multicentre prospective study

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European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Positron emission tomography (PET) was evaluated in low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) to determine its impact on staging and management and to compare PET and gallium scans.

Methods

PET resulted in management plan changes in 74 patients with untreated low-grade NHL stages I to III. Patient outcomes to 12 months were documented.

Results

PET identified additional lesions in 50% of patients, led to a change in stage in 32%, and had a significant impact on management in 34%. Inferior progression-free survival was noted in patients with additional lesions detected by PET (p=0.001) and in the 28% of patients upstaged by PET to stage III or IV (p=0.024). In a subset of 16 patients undergoing both PET and gallium scans, PET was found to be superior.

Conclusion

PET has a major role in the management of low-grade NHL in addition to its proven role in aggressive lymphoma.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing for funding, and the Australian and New Zealand Association of Physicians in Nuclear Medicine for managing, the PET Data Collection Project, and to acknowledge Amanda Byrne, Andrew Chicco, Terri Davies, Elizabeth Drummond, Sonia Harwood and Debbie Lennon and the staff of the PET centres involved in the study for their contribution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for PET, Austin Hospital, Studley Rd, Heidelberg, Melbourne, Victoria, 3084, Australia

    Andrew M. Scott & Dishan H. Gunawardana

  2. Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Austin Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

    Andrew M. Scott

  3. Southern X-Ray Clinics, The Wesley Hospital, Brisbane, Australia

    Joseph Wong

  4. Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia

    Ian Kirkwood

  5. Centre for Molecular Imaging, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia

    Rodney J. Hicks

  6. Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, Australia

    Ivan Ho Shon

  7. Australian and New Zealand Association of Physicians in Nuclear Medicine, Melbourne, Australia

    Jayne E. Ramshaw

  8. WA PET/Cyclotron Service, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia

    Peter Robins

Authors
  1. Andrew M. Scott
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  2. Dishan H. Gunawardana
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  3. Joseph Wong
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  4. Ian Kirkwood
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  5. Rodney J. Hicks
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  6. Ivan Ho Shon
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  7. Jayne E. Ramshaw
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  8. Peter Robins
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Correspondence to Andrew M. Scott.

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Scott, A.M., Gunawardana, D.H., Wong, J. et al. Positron emission tomography changes management, improves prognostic stratification and is superior to gallium scintigraphy in patients with low-grade lymphoma: results of a multicentre prospective study. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 36, 347–353 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-008-0958-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-008-0958-z

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