Published online Sep 16, 2016. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v4.i9.258
Peer-review started: March 28, 2016
First decision: June 16, 2016
Revised: June 22, 2016
Accepted: July 11, 2016
Article in press: July 13, 2016
Published online: September 16, 2016
Processing time: 163 Days and 14.6 Hours
Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T cell lymphoma (SPTCL) is a very rare variant of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Currently, there is no standard imaging method for staging of SPTCL nor for assessment of treatment response. Here, we describe our use of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for staging and monitoring of treatment response in 3 cases of SPTCL. Primary staging by PET/CT showed that all 3 patients had multiple foci in the subcutaneous fat tissue, with SUVmax from 10.5 to 14.6. Involvement of intra-abdominal fat with high SUVmax was identified in 2 of the patients. Use of the triple drug regimen of gemcitabine, cisplatin and methylprednisolone (commonly known as “GEM-P”) as first-line therapy or second-line therapy facilitated complete metabolic response for all 3 cases. FDG PET/CT provides valuable information for staging and monitoring of treatment response and can reveal occult involvement of the intra-abdominal visceral fat. High FDG uptake on pre-treatment PET can identify patients with aggressive disease and help in selection of first-line therapy.
Core tip: We used fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for staging and monitoring of treatment response in 3 cases of subcutaneous panniculitis-like T cell lymphoma (SPTCL), a very rare variant of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. FDG PET/CT provided valuable information for SPTCL staging and monitoring of treatment response in the patients. It can reveal occult involvement of the intra-abdominal visceral fat and identify patients with aggressive SPTCL disease.