Purpose: The purpose of this study was to comparison of Ultrasound and 18F-FDG PET/CT for finding refractory/relapse DLBCL after first-line therapy.

Methods: From January 2012 to September 2023, newly diagnosed DLBCL patients in our center who underwent standard first-line treatment and had complete follow-up records after treatment were enrolled. Data regarding patients' clinical and imaging data, as well as their therapeutic responses were collected.

Results: A total of 597 patients was analyzed, including 146 patients with refractory/relapse DLBCL. Among the 146 cases, there were 49 patients presented with signs and symptoms of relapse. 97 patients showed recurrence on imaging follow-up without abnormal signs or symptoms, 93 of these patients was detected by ultrasound, 52 of these were also confirmed through 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging and 41patients did not undergo 18F-FDG PET/CT due to economic constraints, intolerance, or other factors. 18F-FDG PET/CT indicated recurrence despite normal ultrasound imaging in two patients, one patient had mesenteric lymph node recurrence, another one patient had intravertebral recurrence. CT indicated recurrence despite normal PET/CT imaging in two patients.

Conclusions: Ultrasound identified most of asymptomatic DLBCL patients with relapse. However, the application of PET/CT is limited due to its high cost and radiation characteristics. Therefore, it is recommended that ultrasound be used as a routine follow-up examination for DLBCL.

Disclosures

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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2024
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