Objective: To elucidate the time course of tumor metabolism during the first 3 months after (90)Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan radioimmunotherapy (RIT) in patients with refractory malignant lymphoma.
Materials and methods: Seven patients with recurrent follicular lymphoma underwent FDG-PET imaging before and after 1-, 4-, and 12-week RIT with (90)Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan. Tumor metabolic activity on FDG-PET scans was assessed as the maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax).
Results: Decrease in metabolism was detected 1 week after RIT. In the most decreased lesion, SUVmax decreased to 20% of the baseline value during the first week. Most lesions continued to decrease for up to 4 weeks. Some lesions showed increased metabolism from 4 to 12 weeks, while the level of FDG accumulations at 12 weeks was still lower than the baseline.
Conclusions: Tumor response to RIT could be observed as early as 1 week after the administration of RIT. After tumor activity decreases, the metabolism may increase at least between 4 and 12 weeks. It suggests that the metabolic changes should be carefully evaluated during this period.