OBJECTIVETo determine the prognostic value of maximum standard uptake (SUV(max)) of pretreatment ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT scan in newly diagnosed follicular lymphoma (FL).

METHODSThe clinical data and detection results of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT scan of 30 patients with FL before treatment from November 2005 to October 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. The relation of SUV(max) with prognostic factors, therapeutic efficacy and survival time was evaluated in term of pathologic grade, FLIPI2 absence and presence of bulky disease and bone marrow involvement, clinical indicators and outcome of treatment.

RESULTSThere was significant differences of SUV(max) among pathological grade 1, grade 2 and grade 3 (P = 0.040), but no significant difference was found among FLIPI 2 low risk group, intermediate risk group and high risk groups (P = 0.431). No difference of SUV(max) was observed in patients with and without bulky disease, or with and without bone marrow involvement (both P > 0.05). SUV(max) was not related with such patient characteristics as stage, β2-microglobulin level, hemoglobin content, lactate dehydrogenase and Ki-67 (both P > 0.05). And the difference of SUV(max) was no significant for patients with complete remission (CR) and non-CR, or with efficacy and no efficacy (both P > 0.05). With the cutoff values of 10 and 15, the CR rate, overall response rate, 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate and 2-year overall survival (OS) rate were not different between the patients with SUV(max) below and above cut-off value (both P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONIn our study the prognostic value of SUV(max) on PET/CT is indeterminate, and it can not be used to predict the FL patients prognosis.