Bone marrow involvement in lymphoma: the importance of marrow magnetic resonance imaging

Detection of bone marrow involvement is important for staging and treatment decisions in patients with lymphoma. Although routine bone marrow evaluation is based on aspirates and bone marrow biopsies, new diagnostic tools are required to improve diagnostic accuracy. Visual and quantitative assessment of the bone marrow by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is useful for the detection of occult lymphomatous marrow involvement. MRI is also suitable for the evaluation of disease extent in the bone marrow. Furthermore, abnormal images on marrow MRI may be associated with a significantly poorer survival in patients with lymphoma, regardless of histologic findings in the marrow. Evaluation of the bone marrow by MRI is essential to assess disease status in patients with lymphoma.