Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT patterns of extranodal involvement in patients with non-hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease

Lymphoma may originate in extranodal sites. Extranodal lymphoma may also be secondary to and accompany nodal disease. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) imaging has an essential role in the staging of lymphoma, in monitoring the response to therapy, and in detection of recurrence. The introduction of 18F-FDG PET/CT hybrid imaging allows for accurate localization of disease and may be specifically beneficial for the detection of unexpected extranodal sites of disease or exclusion of disease in the presence of nonspecific extranodal CT findings. Accurate staging and localization often dictate the appropriate treatment strategy in patients with lymphoma. Therefore, at any stage in the course of the disease, the potential presence of extranodal disease should be considered when interpreting 18F-FDG PET/CT studies in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease.