Quantitative Assessment of Interim PET/CT Could Have More Prognostic Relevance than Visual Assessment for Predicting Clinical Outcome of Extranodal Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma

Background/aim: The present study retrospectively investigated the predictive accuracy of interim positron emission tomography/computed tomography (iPET/CT) based on the Deauville 5-point scale (5-PS) and a quantitative SUV-based assessment in patients with extranodal (EN) diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Patients and methods: The Deauville 5-PS and the SUVmax reduction (ΔSUVmax) assessment for interpreting the response to iPET/CT were used.

Results: A total of 163 patients were enrolled in this study. With a median follow-up of 52.5 months, ΔSUVmax successfully predicted the survival outcomes of patients with one extranodal (EN) involvement in terms of overall survival (OS) (p=0.012) and progression-free survival (PFS) (p<0.001). Visual assessment using the Deauville 5-PS did not predict survival outcomes in patients with one or more EN involvements in terms of OS and PFS.

Conclusion: The quantitative SUV-based assessment with iPET/CT was a significant prognosticator for long-term survival outcomes, especially in patients with one EN involvement.