Role of FDG-PET scan in the management of pediatric mature B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. CCHE experience

Abstract EN

Aim of work : To evaluate the sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), and predictive values (PV) of PET scan during management of pediatric mature B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) in comparison with conventional computed tomography (CT) scan.

Patients and methods : A retrospective study enrolled on pediatric NHL patients at Children Cancer Hospital Egypt (CCHE) during the period from July 2007 to the end of June 2013.

Results : For 115 pediatric patients diagnosed with mature B cell NHL, 152 PET and 152 CT scans were done simultaneously.

Median age was 5.7 years.

They were 85 males (74 %) and 30 females (26 %).

One hundred twenty six scans (82.9 %) were done for 100 (87 %) Burkitt lymphoma (BL) patients, while 26 scans (17.1 %) were done for 15 (13.0 %) patients with diffuse large B cell NHL (DLBC).

Nineteen examination (12.5 %) were done before starting chemotherapy (group 1), 107 (70.3%) at time of evaluation (group 2), and 26 (17.1%) during follow up (group C).

Overall sensitivity was 91.6% for PET and 70.0% for conventional CT (p= 0.02).

Specificity was 84.1 % for PET and 58.9% for CT (p < 0.001).

Positive predictive value (PPV) for PET was 50 %, while was 22 % for CT scan (p < 0.001).

Negative predictive value (NPV) for PET was 98 %, and 92 % for CT (p = 0.01).