Community Academic Profiles - Faculty & Researchers

Interim positron emission tomography (PET) scans in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: an independent expert nuclear medicine evaluation of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group E3404 study.
Horning SJ, Juweid ME, Schoder H, Wiseman G, McMillan A, Swinnen LJ, Advani R, Gascoyne R, Quon A. Blood. 2009
Positive interim-PET scans are thought to be associated with inferior outcomes in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In the E3404 DLBCL study, PET scans at baseline and after 3 R-CHOP were centrally reviewed by a single reader. To determine reproducibility of interim PET interpretation, an expert panel of 3 external nuclear medicine physicians visually scored baseline and interim-PET scans independently and blinded to clinical information. The binary ECOG study criteria were based on modifications of the Harmonization Criteria; the London criteria were also applied. Of 38 interim scans, agreement was complete in 68% and 71% by ECOG and London criteria, respectively. The range of PET+ interim scans was 16% to 34% (p=NS) by reviewer. Moderate consistency of reviews was observed: kappa statistic 0.445 using ECOG and 0.502 using London criteria. These data, showing only moderate reproducibility among nuclear medicine experts, indicate the need to standardize PET interpretation in research and practice. This trial has been registered on http://www.clinicialtrials.gov as NCT00274924.

PubMedID: 19767508

Sandra Horning