The Predictive Value of Interim and Final [18F] Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography after Rituximab-Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: A Meta-Analysis

Background and Purpose. The aim of this study is to determine the prognostic value of interim and final FDG-PET in major histotypes of B-cell NHL patients treated with rituximab containing-chemotherapy. Methods. We searched for articles published in English, limited to lymphoma, rituximab, and FDG-PET, and dedicated to deal with the impact on progression and survival. The log hazard ratios (HR) and their variances were estimated. Results. A PubMed and Scopus review of published trials identified 13 studies of Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) which were set as the main outcome measures. The combined HRs of I-PET for PFS and OS in DLBCL were 4.4 (P = 0.11) and 3.99 (P = 0.46), respectively. The combined HRs of F-PET for PFS and OS in DLBCL were 5.91 (P = 0.39) and 6.75 (P = 0.92), respectively. Regarding to non-DLBCL with F-PET, the combined HRs of F-PET for PFS and OS were 4.05 (P = 0.79) and 5.1 (P = 0.51), respectively. No publication bias existed. Conclusion. In DLBCL, both I-PET and F-PET can be performed for survival and progression analysis. But in other B-cell subtypes such as follicular lymphoma (FL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), it would be necessary to perform F-PET for predictive purposes.