Purpose: To prospectively compare the accuracy of positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) in imaging thoracicoabdominal lymphoma to that of computed tomography (CT).
Materials and methods: Sixteen patients with lymphoma (11 with non-Hodgkin lymphoma [NHL] and five with Hodgkin disease) underwent FDG-PET and CT. Blinded, independent interpretations of PET and CT studies were followed by a direct comparison of the images. Measurement of tumor uptake of FDG was performed on positive PET studies.
Results: Fifty-four foci of abnormal uptake were detected with PET in 13 patients. Forty-nine corresponding sites of lymphadenopathy and/or masses were detected with CT. All sites of adenopathy seen at CT were detected at PET. Three patients with Hodgkin disease had negative findings at abdominal PET, CT, and subsequent staging laparotomy. FDG uptake was comparable for both the low- and intermediate-grade lymphomas.
Conclusion: These preliminary data indicate excellent accuracy for FDG-PET imaging of thoracicoabdominal lymphoma. All grades of NHL were successfully imaged with FDG-PET. PET appears to be a useful method for imaging lymphoma.