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The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of clinician interpretation of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) reports at mid-therapy, interim PET (I-PET) and after the end of first-line therapy (E-PET) in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Four hundred and thirty patients were enrolled in this study comprising a total of 617 PET reports. Each report was evaluated by three expert hematologists randomly selected from a panel of nine. Reports were labeled positive or negative if all three interpreters agreed. All others were considered indeterminate. Indeterminate reports accounted for 59% of I-PET and 49% of E-PET reports. Two-year overall survival (OS) for patients with a positive, indeterminate and negative I-PET was 58%, 87% and 89% ( p < 0.001), respectively. Two-year OS for patients with E-PET was 41%, 89% and 97% ( p < 0.001) for positive, indeterminate and negative interpretation of PET/CT reports. Progression-free survival and OS did not differ significantly in patients with a negative and an indeterminate I-PET report. The use of well-defined reporting criteria, e.g. the Deauville five-point scale, is likely to reduce the number of scans perceived as indeterminate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the study of G. A. Abel and colleagues which examines the significance and patterns of surveillance imaging in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in remission. They mention that the multi-institutional survey has focused on first two years of post-treatment via surveillance imaging. They say that those patients who were randomised to low-intensity surveillance imaging have a risk relapse compared to those who have DLBCL in remission following chemotherapy.

In this article the author discusses the study of T. El-Galaly and colleagues which presents the efficacy of routine post-treatment surveillance with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) to aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients. He states that the addition of PET/CT to routine surveillance showed an early detection of one single relapse. He also explores two studies which use chest X-ray and CT scans and both confirmed that most of the relapses were symptomatic.