The Community Focus Channel on VJHemOnc is an independent medical education platform, supported with funding from Johnson & Johnson (Gold). Supporters have no influence on the production of content. The levels of sponsorship listed are reflective of the amount of funding given.
The Lymphoma Channel on VJHemOnc is an independent medical education platform, supported with funding from AstraZeneca (Diamond), BMS (Gold), Johnson & Johnson (Gold), Takeda (Silver) and Galapagos (Bronze). Supporters have no influence on the production of content. The levels of sponsorship listed are reflective of the amount of funding given.
SOHO 2025 | Is PET-guided surveillance necessary in patients who have had lymphoma?
In this video, Ariela Noy, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, comments on whether routine radiographic surveillance with PET scans is necessary for patients who have had lymphoma. Dr Noy notes that PET scans are costly and that symptoms and directed questioning may be an appropriate way of determining if scans are needed. This interview took place at the 13th Annual Meeting of the Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO 2025) in Houston, TX.
These works are owned by Magdalen Medical Publishing (MMP) and are protected by copyright laws and treaties around the world. All rights are reserved.
Transcript
A PET scan, at least in our institution, costs three times as much as a CT. And first of all, the question is whether radiographic surveillance improves outcomes. A number of studies, not randomized, obviously, but a number of retrospective analyses and some data registry analyses from countries that have a more robust way of capturing all the patients because they have socialized medicine, suggests that imaging does not actually help and that symptoms and directed questioning actually help us more when we need scans...
A PET scan, at least in our institution, costs three times as much as a CT. And first of all, the question is whether radiographic surveillance improves outcomes. A number of studies, not randomized, obviously, but a number of retrospective analyses and some data registry analyses from countries that have a more robust way of capturing all the patients because they have socialized medicine, suggests that imaging does not actually help and that symptoms and directed questioning actually help us more when we need scans.
Having said that, we still relatively aggressively scan according to NCCN guidelines every six months after a standard type of lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Most insurance will not allow for PET scanning unless you have a specific reason. So for example, if you have somebody who had primary bone lymphoma where the lesions would never have been detectable on CT, that might be an exception. But I would say it’s not easy to survey by PET scan, even though many of us feel that you may be picking up lesions earlier. So I think it’s variable at this time.
This transcript is AI-generated. While we strive for accuracy, please verify this copy with the video.
Read more...
