Cheng Fang¹, Changping Wu²

¹Department of Oncology,Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, ²Department of Tumor Biological Treatment, Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University.

Objective:The prognostic value of an interimfluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomogram- phy (¹⁸F-FDGPET) for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has been assessed by differentgroups. However, studies have suggested that the use of rituximab could limitthe predictive value of interim ¹⁸F-FDG PET for DLBCL. Method: Toclarify the prognostic value of interim ¹⁸F-FDG PET in DLBCLpatients treated with rituximab based immunochemotherapy, we searched forPubMed, the Cochrane Library and EMBASE for relevant studies. A random versusfixed effects model was selected according to heterogeneity. Eleven studieswere identified. Result: The pooled HR comparing PFS between patientswith positive and negative results was 2.96 (95% CI=2.25–3.89). The patients ininterim ¹⁸F-FDG PET negative group had a higher CR rates than thatin interim ¹⁸F-FDG PET positive group (RR=5.53, 95% CI=2.59–11.80). Conclusion:Consistent evidence favoring interim ¹⁸F-FDG PET-based treatmentassessment should be considered in the management of patients with DLBCL.

Key Words: ¹⁸F-FDGPET  DLBCL  prognosis