Use of 2-(18F)fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma in daily practice: a population-based study from Northern Italy

We conducted a population-based study to assess how positron emission tomography (PET) is currently used in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Four cancer registries from northern Italy were used to identify patients with HL diagnosed from 2006 to 2008. Computed tomography (CT) and PET scans were collected before treatment start (B), at the end (F), and during treatment (I). One hundred and thirty-six patients were identified as the study population. B-PET, I-PET, and F-PET were performed in 82%, 65%, and 85% of patients, respectively. Overall, I-PET was coded as positive in 16% of cases. F-PET was positive in 13% of cases. The I-PET result was a prognostic factor for failure-free survival (FFS) (hazard ratio [HR] 5.33); the F-PET result was the only prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) (HR 14.2). This population-based study confirms the prognostic role of I-PET for FFS also in daily practice; the results of F-PET can be used to predict OS.