The value of FDG-PET/CT in the assessment of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of tonsil

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the value of FDG-PET/CT in staging and re-staging tonsillar lymphoma. Materials and Methods: Twenty-nine patients with tonsillar lymphoma who had been evaluated with FDG-PET/CT in our center. The mean age was 44±20 years.The majority of patients presented with cervical lymphadenopathy. All patients included in this study were diagnosed on the basis of histopathology. Patients were indicated for primary tumor detection, metabolic characterization, staging, restaging and response to treatment. Results: Twelve patients out of 29 were referred to our clinic for staging and 17 were for restaging. Five patients presented primary focus in tonsils and lymph node metastasis. Two patients presented no metastasis and primary focus in tonsils only. The remaining five patients who had tonsillectomy prior to PET/CT presented lymph node metastasis. FDG-PET/CT for restaging was performed on 17 patients with tonsillectomy and / or chemoradiotherapy. Seven patients had negative PET/CT results revealing cure, others had local recurrence and lymphatic metastasis. SUV max values of FDG-PET/CT were found to be 11 and higher where as SUVmax in patients with marginal zone lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma and mixed cellular lymphoma were 5.5, 9.5 and 7.6, respectively. Conclusion: FDG-PET/CT imaging is a valuable tool for staging and as a follow-up modality for assessing the therapeutic response of patients suffering from primary extranodal lymphoma and in detecting malignancies.