Prognostic and Differential Diagnostic Value of Standardized Uptake Volume (SUV) of Fluorodeoxyglucose in Patients with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Abstract

Background & Aims. Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) is still considered one of the most curable oncohematological diseases of lymphoid tissue. <sup>18</sup>F-fluorodeoxyglucose (<sup>18</sup>F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) combined with multispiral computed tomography (CT) is one of precise and easily available methods of imaging of lymphoid neoplasia. The aim is to determine the correlation between the standardized uptake volume (SUV) of <sup>18</sup>F-FDG and results of the first-line anti-tumor treatment of HL patients; to evaluate the possibility of differential diagnosis between HL and diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) based on SUV. Materials & Methods. 76 patients (69 men and 7 women) aged from 19 to 75 years (median age 36.7 years) with DLBCL (n = 22) and HL (n = 54) were enrolled in the study. The diseases were diagnosed over the period from 2011 until 2015. A combined PET-CT imaging was performed for the disease staging. Results. The comparison of median SUVs in patients with HL (n = 54) and DLBCL (n = 22) demonstrated that the difference had a very high level of significance (p < 0.001). HL patients demonstrated a significantly lower <sup>18</sup>F-FDG SUV than DLBCL patients. The analysis of PET findings demonstrated a correlation between the chosen treatment option for the lymphoma and the SUV level (p < 0.001). HL patients demonstrated an insignificant negative correlation between the SUV level rise and the treatment outcome (p = 0.2). Conclusion. The SUV level does not affect the treatment outcomes of HL patients according to the ABVD protocol, as well as the metabolic response rate and tumor mass reduction. However, the SUV levels significantly differ in patients with HL and DLBCL. These data may be used as additional criteria for differential diagnosis of HL and DLBCL.