CAN CLINICAL-DATA HELP TO SCREEN PATIENTS WITH LYMPHOMA FOR MR-IMAGING OF BONE-MARROW

Background: Previous studies have suggested combining magnetic resonan ce (MR) imaging and biopsy in patients with lymphoma but associations between MR results and clinical symptoms have never been investigated. The purpose of this retrospective study was to better delineate patie nts profiles requiring bone marrow (BM) imaging in lymphoma. Material and methods: 50 MR studies and blind biopsies (BB) were reviewed in 40 patients with lymphoma. MR results were compared to clinical, laborat ory-based and BM follow-up data to determine potential associations be tween MR results and these parameters. Results: 46% of MR studies were abnormal with a normal BB;2% were normal with an abnormal BB. Abnorma l MR results were significantly associated with subsequent bone marrow involvement (p<0.01). Abnormal MR studies were significantly associat ed with constitutional symptoms, bone pains (p<0.05) and an elevated a lkaline phosphatase level (p<0.01). MR imaging excluded malignancy in three patients and caused therapy to be modified in three. Conclusion: Abnormal clinical and laboratory-based data should be used to screen patients with normal BB for MR imaging, especially in patients with Ho dgkin's disease and high grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.