Hodgkin's disease and lymphomas

Lymphomas represent a diverse range of diseases with evolving pathologic classification and therapy strategies. Essentially, the lymphomas are classified into two main groups, Hodgkin's disease (HD) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). For both disease entities accurate determination of extent of disease at initial staging and restaging is key for optimal management. More than 75% of all newly diagnosed patients with adult HD can be cured with combination chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. As for NHL, effective drug combinations can produce prolonged disease-free survival in the majority of patients. A functional or metabolic diagnostic imaging modality can contribute to the assessment of a patient in various ways. Functional imaging can complement anatomic imaging modalities, mainly CT, and thereby enhances the accuracy of defining the extent of disease prior to therapy. In the posttherapy setting, the ability to differentiate residual viable disease from benign post-therapy changes could impact patient management and outcome, particularly if it helps to select patients who would require additional therapy or a change in treatment regimen.