Imaging Studies

Imaging studies—such as PET/CT and CT scans—have become the standards that provide a baseline against which treatment response can be more accurately assessed.¹

PET-CT scan

Chest/abdominal/pelvic (C/A/P) CT scan with contrast of diagnostic quality and/or whole-body PET/CT scan are required for diagnosis of MZL.²

Additional imaging studies may be useful in the diagnosis of MZL in select cases²:

• Echocardiogram or MUGA scan if cardiotoxic chemotherapies are indicated (gastric MALT, nodal MZL)
• MRI with contrast for neurologic evaluation or for patients for whom CT with contrast is contraindicated (nongastric MALT)
• Endoscopy with ultrasound (if available) with multiple biopsies of anatomical sites (gastric and nongastric MALT)
• Additional imaging as appropriate

Imaging studies may be ordered at initial diagnosis, staging, and when evaluating treatment response.¹

• Contrast-enhanced CT is preferred for radiation treatment planning and for distinguishing bowel from lymphadenopathy¹
• PET/CT is the standard for routine staging of FDG*-avid, nodal lymphomas (lymphomas whose ‘hot’ nodes or tumors take up the FGD), whereas CT is indicated for nonavid histologies¹
• While a majority of nodal lymphoma histologies are considered FDG-avid, MZL is nonavid ¹
• Although PET/CT is generally not useful for staging these more indolent histologies, it may be helpful in some circumstances (eg, to identify a preferred biopsy site if aggressive transformation is suspected)¹