ABSTRACT
Objective:To assess the predictive value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT imaging and relevant factors in the prognosis of patients with classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) before or after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Methods:From January 2008 to June 2017, 55 cHL patients (28 males, 27 females; age: (28.8±9.6) years) confirmed by pathology in Shanghai General Hospital were retrospectively included. 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging was performed before ASCT in 43 cases and after ASCT in 34 cases (22 patients underwent the imaging both before and after ASCT). Patients were divided into positive group (≥4) and negative group (<4) according to 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging results using Deauville 5-point scale. The predictive value of relevant factors in the prognosis was evaluated with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and log-rank test. Hazard ratio ( HR) was calculated by Cox regression model. Results:Of 55 cHL patients, 29 (53%) had a progression of disease after a median follow-up of 8 months, and 11 (20%) patients died after a median follow-up of 29.5 months, with the 3-year PFS rate of 46.4% and OS rate of 84.5%. Significant differences of PFS rate were found between patients with or without B symptoms, between patients with or without large mediastinal mass, between patients with international prognostic score (IPS) of 0-2 and those with IPS of 3-7, among patients with different effect of salvage chemotherapy (complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR) + stable disease (SD), progressive disease (PD)), and between patients with negative or positive PET/CT imaging results before or after ASCT ( χ2 values: 5.52-20.01, HR: 2.21(95% CI: 1.56-3.12)-5.51(95% CI: 1.86-16.33), all P<0.05). B symptoms and large mediastinal mass were also prognostic factors for OS rate ( HR: 5.28(95% CI: 1.14-24.51) and 4.27(95% CI: 1.24-14.79), both P<0.05). The combination of 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging before and after ASCT was statistically significant for predicting PFS ( χ2=11.28, P<0.01). Multivariate survival analysis showed that the risk of progression in patients with positive PET/CT results after ASCT was significantly higher than those with negative results ( HR=6.20, P<0.01), and the risk of death in patients with B symptoms was significantly higher than those without B symptoms ( HR=5.28, P<0.05). Conclusion:18F-FDG PET/CT imaging results after ASCT have important values for predicting PFS in cHL patients after ASCT, and B symptoms can be used as an important prognostic indicator of OS after ASCT.