PET-CT is modern standard for response-adapted HL therapy

Tumor response to induction therapy is an important marker for clinical benefit in Hodgkin lymphoma and essential for determining appropriate treatment regimen.

In a recent issue of Blood, Sally F. Barrington and colleagues report positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is the modern standard for staging Hodgkin lymphoma and can replace contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) in the vast majority of cases, based on the large, international RATHL (Response-Adapted Therapy in Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma) clinical trial. RATHL used PET-CT for staging and for response monitoring after two cycles of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine (ABVD) to guide treatment modification. Read more.