TEP/TDM dans le diagnostic et la stadification des lymphomes

Histological subtypes of lymphomas are important because FDG uptake is much greater in aggressive than in indolent lymphomas and this, results in lower sensitivity of PET for the staging of indolent lymphomas. Staging is especially useful when treatment is changed according to staging. Staging with imaging methods has traditionally been performed using a CT scanner and has been based on the detection of nodal enlargement, an increased number of small nodes and in the presence of extranodal masses. However, CT is limited by its poor sensitivity in the detection of extranodal sites of involvement, in the identification of tumour involvement of normal size lymph nodes and in the differentiation between malignant and inflammatory enlarged lymph nodes. The uptake of FDG detected with PET images reflects metabolic activity rather than the size of the tissue masses, localizing tumoral activity in enlarged and in normal size lymph nodes. In the literature review that compares PET with CT, PET usually indicates more lesions than CT would and PET improves sensitivity without losing specificity. However, the majority of studies report that PET, improves the staging in a relatively limited number of patients (10-20%) and may change treatment in less than 10% of patients. Diagnostic accuracy of PET may improve with the use of hybrid PET/CT systems that combine metabolic and morphological imaging, in the same scanner and without moving the patient. This is a promising technique that will overcome the limitations of both modalities and may enhance diagnostic accuracy in lymphoma patients. This hybrid equipment allows the use of PET/CT with contrast-enhanced full dose CT (a diagnostic CT) instead of carrying out PET and CT on different days.