Baseline PET as prognostic marker for Hodgkin?

Abstract

In this issue of Blood, Akhtari et al present a retrospective analysis of baseline positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in relation to the prognostic significance of the metabolic tumor volume (MTV) in risk classification of early-stage HL.1 These measurements yield estimates of the total tumor burden, which has previously been demonstrated to be one of the most significant prognostic factor in HL.2 A more precise discrimination between low-risk vs high-risk HL using baseline PET-CT characteristics could be clinically useful and might inform treatment decisions.