PET/CT in assessing the lymphoma response to treatment

Abstract

Relevance: PET/CT has become an integral part of the diagnostic algorithm in lymphoma patients since lymphomas actively accumulate 18F-FDG. The high accuracy of PET/CT in patients with certain lymphoma types allows effective use of this method in clinical practice 
for diagnosis, staging, re-staging, evaluating the effectiveness of treatment, and determining further patient management tactics.
The study aimed to evaluate the PET/CT capacity in assessing lymphoma treatment effectiveness.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of PET/CT 18F-FDG results in 109 patients with a verified lymphoma diagnosis. The patients underwent PET/CT examinations at “Orhun Medical” PET/CT center based in the JSC “Kazakh Institute of Oncology and Ra
diology” (Almaty, Kazakhstan).
Results: According to PET/CT results in assessing the lymphoma treatment effectiveness, the stabilization of the process was achieved in 38.5% of cases, progression – in 33.03%, a partial metabolic response – in 18.35%, and a complete response – in 10.09% of cases.
Conclusion: PET/CT is the method of choice for evaluating the effectiveness of lymphoma treatment compared to other radiological 
techniques. PET/CT is based on determining metabolic treatment response, not only on size indicators. It plays an essential role in different 
stages of lymphoma treatment, providing new opportunities for personalized treatment.