@article{Pier Luigi Zinzani_Monica Tani_Rocco Trisolini_Stefano Fanti_Vittorio Stefoni_Marco Alifano_Paolo Castellucci_Gerardo Musuraca_Giorgia Dalpiaz_Lapo Alinari_Enrica Marchi_Mariapaola Fina_Cinzia Pellegrini_Mohsen Farsad_Alessandra Cancellieri_Annalisa Busca_Romeo Canini_Stefano Pileri_Michele Baccarani_Maurizio Boaron_2007, place={Pavia, Italy}, title={Histological verification of positive positron emission tomography findings in the follow-up of patients with mediastinal lymphoma}, volume={92}, url={https://haematologica.org/article/view/4470}, DOI={10.3324/haematol.10798}, abstractNote={<strong>Background and Objectives</strong> Follow-ups of patients with mediastinal lymphoma are not accurate if they rely on computed tomography (CT). Positron emission tomography (PET) has been suggested to be useful in several lymphoma settings, such as initial staging, evaluation of residual masses after therapy, and assessment of response early in the course of treatment. The aim of this retrospective study was to verify the reliability of positive PET scans of the mediastinum in following up patients wirh mediastinal lymphoma, using histological findings as a comparison.<strong>Design and Methods</strong> From January 2002 to July 2005, 151 patients with mediastinal lymphoma (57 with Hodgkin’s disease [HD] and 94 with aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma [NHL]) were followed-up after the end of front-line treatment. Patients with a positive PET scan of the mediastinum underwent CT scanning and surgical biopsy.<strong>Results</strong> In 30 (21 HD and 9 NHL) out of 151 patients (20%) a suspicion of lymphoma relapse was raised based on positive mediastinal PET scanning. Histology confirmed this suspicion in 17 (10 HD and 7 NHL) out of 30 patients (57%), whereas either benign (9 fibrosis, 3 sarcoid-like granulomatosis) or unrelated neoplastic conditions (1 thymoma) were demonstrated in the remaining 13 patients (43%). SUV<sub>max</sub> was significantly higher among patients who had signs of relapse (17 true positive cases) than among those who stayed in remission (13 false positive cases), the median values being 5.95 (range, 3.5–26.9) and 2.90 (range, 1.4–3.3), respectively (<em>p</em>=0.01).<strong>Interpretation and Conclusions</strong&gt; We suggest that a positive PET scan of the mediastinum of a patient being followed-up for a mediastinal lymphoma should not be considered sufficient for diagnostic purposes in view of its lack of discrimination. Histological confirmation can safely be carried out with various biopsy techniques, the choice of which should be made on the basis of the findings of the clinical and imaging studies of the individual case.}, number={6}, journal={Haematologica}, author={Pier Luigi Zinzani and Monica Tani and Rocco Trisolini and Stefano Fanti and Vittorio Stefoni and Marco Alifano and Paolo Castellucci and Gerardo Musuraca and Giorgia Dalpiaz and Lapo Alinari and Enrica Marchi and Mariapaola Fina and Cinzia Pellegrini and Mohsen Farsad and Alessandra Cancellieri and Annalisa Busca and Romeo Canini and Stefano Pileri and Michele Baccarani and Maurizio Boaron}, year={2007}, month={Jun.}, pages={771-777} }