Should Imaging Be Performed for Lymphoma in Remission?

Routine surveillance imaging detected asymptomatic relapse in less than 2% of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in first remission and should be discouraged.

Periodic imaging to detect relapse is standard practice for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in first remission. But the utility of this practice is unclear.

To assess the frequency of detecting early, asymptomatic DLBCL relapse by computed tomography (CT) or positron emission tomography/CT, investigators conducted a retrospective study of patients with newly diagnosed de novo DLBCL in complete remission after treatment with an anthracycline-based immunochemotherapy regimen.

In a primary cohort of 552 patients, 112 (20%) relapsed, including 93 (83%) with DLBCL; only 9 (1.6%) of the DLBCL recurrences were detected solely by imaging in the absence of new symptoms or clinical findings. In a validation cohort of 222 patients, 5…

Reviewing Author

Michael E. Williams, MD, ScM

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardAbbVie; AstraZeneca; Beigene; Janssen; Pharmacyclics

Grant/Research SupportJanssen

Editorial BoardsAmerican Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Hematology Longitudinal Knowledge Approval Committee

Michael E. Williams, MD, ScM

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardAbbVie; AstraZeneca; Beigene; Janssen; Pharmacyclics

Grant/Research SupportJanssen

Editorial BoardsAmerican Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Hematology Longitudinal Knowledge Approval Committee

Should Imaging Be Performed for Lymphoma in Remission?

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Reviewing Author