Abstract
Thymic hyperplasia (TH) after chemotherapy is an infrequent phenomenon in adults. This study analyzed the incidence and metabolic activity of TH on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in this population. By reviewing 471 PET/CT recordings of 211 adults with lymphoma, increased FDG uptake within an enlarged thymus regarded as TH was observed in 27 patients aged 18–53 years. FDG uptake in hyperplastic thymus was mild and diffuse, with a maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) of 2.6 ± 0.9. Its intensity varied with different occurrence times following chemotherapy. In addition, by comparing the recovery of T cell subsets in patients with TH (n = 20) and without TH (n = 28), no impact of the presence of TH was found on the repopulation of total CD4 + and CD8 + T cells within the first year after treatment. These data may be helpful to avoid misinterpretation of increased thymic uptake in adults.
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