In a study published in the August issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, researchers identified a more precise method for determining bone marrow involvement in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)—a key factor in tailoring patient management plans.
Imaging with 18F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), when compared to bone marrow biopsy, was more sensitive, showed a higher negative predictive value, and was more accurate, changing treatment for 42% of patients with bone marrow involvement.
The retrospective study included 133 patients diagnosed with DLBCL. All patients received both a whole-body 18F-FDG PET/CT scan and a bone marrow biopsy to determine bone marrow involvement. A final diagnosis of bone marrow involvement was made if the biopsy was positive, or if the positive PET/CT scan was confirmed by a guided biopsy, by targeted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or, after chemotherapy, by the concomitant disappearance of focal bone marrow uptake and uptake in other lymphoma lesions on 18F-FDG PET/CT reassessment.
