Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography in Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive and potentially curable type of lymphoma. Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is part of clinical routine for DLBCL in most hospitals and also recommended for staging and end-of-therapy evaluation. FDG-PET/computed tomography (CT) is able to identify nodal and extranodal sites with greater accuracy than CT alone. Little evidence supports the use of surveillance FDG-PET imaging in the follow-up setting because of high rates of false-positive scans and because most studies are retrospective. This article discusses FDG-PET assessment methods and the clinical application of FDG-PET for management of DLBCL.