Tumor burden assessed by the maximum standardized uptake value and greatest diameter on FDG-PET predicts prognosis in untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Purpose: It is uncertain whether the tumor burden as assessed using FDG-PET has prognostic significance in newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The authors undertook this study to determine whether a parameter that reflects both FDG uptake magnitude and the greatest tumor diameter is a prognostic indicator in DLBCL. Materials and Methods: Forty-two DLBCL patients (age, 57.4±15.5 years; male/female=25/17; stage I/II/III/IV=5/ 17/10/10) who underwent FDG-PET before chemotherapy were enrolled. A lesion with the highest maximum standardized uptake value (MaxSUV) on the PET image was selected, and size-incorporated MaxSUV (SIMaxSUV) of mass was calculated as MaxSUV × greatest diameter (mm) on the transaxial PET image. Median follow-up duration was 20.0 months. Results: Twelve (28.6%=12/42) patients experienced disease progression, and 10 (23.8%=10/42) died during follow-up. Among six variables [Ann Arbor stage, %Ki-67 expression, International Prognostic Index (IPI), MaxSUV, greatest diameter, and SIMaxSUV] investigated, only SIMaxSUV was found to be a single determinant of progression-free and overall survivals by multivariate analyses (p<0.05). Conclusion: These results suggest that SIMaxSUV, a new FDG-PET parameter that incorporates FDG uptake magnitude and the greatest tumor diameter, may be a useful indicator of prognosis in untreated DLBCL.