PET Response-guided treatment of hodgkins lymphoma: A review of the evidence and active clinical trials

Abstract

Risk-adaptive therapy for Hodgkins lymphoma focuses on treatment modifications based on assessment of response. [18F]Fluoro- deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) performed during or after completion of chemotherapy is a strong prognostic factor for eventual treatment outcome. Conceptually, this strategy seeks to increase efficacy and minimize toxicity through the appropriate selection of patients for either therapy escalation (high-risk, PET positive) or de-escalation (low-risk, PET negative). Preliminary evidence with tailoring both chemotherapy (drug selection, number of cycles, and dose) and radiotherapy (omission or inclusion) is varied; however, numerous clinical trials seeking to validate this approach are ongoing. This paper summarizes the available evidence and active protocols involving PET response-adapted therapy for adult (early and advanced stages) Hodgkins lymphoma. © 2011 Paul Aridgides et al.