Accuracy of 18-F FDG PET/CT to detect bone marrow clearance in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma – tissue remains the issue

Abstract

Staging of peripheral T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (PTCL) is determined by 18-F FDG PET scan and bone marrow biopsy. This study addressed the accuracy of PET at detecting bone marrow (BM) involvement at restaging in patients with known involvement pretreatment. We identified patients with biopsy proven BM PTCL at diagnosis and concomitant BM and PET at the end of therapy. Pre-treatment PET demonstrated 50% (8/16) had a false-negative PET scan of the BM. After induction, repeat biopsy revealed 62.5% (10/16) with BM involvement. Of these 10, two had a positive PET; eight were false negative by PET. Of the six patients with a negative posttherapy BM biopsy, four were PET negative and two false positive. The sensitivity of PET at end of treatment was 20% (2/10) with a specificity of 66.7% (4/6). PET/CT is not an accurate predictor of BM involvement in patients with known PTCL in the marrow.

Keywords:

• PET/CT
• bone marrow biopsy
• T-cell lymphoma

Acknowledgements

This study was supported in part by the Predolin Foundation and the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic Lymphoma SPORE CA97274.

Potential conflict of interest

Disclosure forms provide by the authors are available with the full text of this article online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10428194.2017.1300891.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported in part by the Predolin Foundation and the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic Lymphoma SPORE CA97274.