PET technique promises better detection and response assessment
for Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Positron emission tomography (PET)
and a molecular imaging agent that captures the proliferation of
cancer cells could prove to be a valuable method for imaging a
form of Non-Hodgkin's disease called mantle cell lymphoma, a
relatively rare and devastating blood cancer. The pilot study is
published in the December issue of the Journal of Nuclear
Medicine. Lymphoma is the term used for an array of cancers that
affect blood cells and the lymphatic system. These cancers are
typically categorized as either Hodgkin's or non-Hodgkin's.
Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
that accounts for approximately 6 percent, or roughly 3,000, of
lymphoma cases in America, with prevalence in male populations
over 60 years of age. MCL is caused by abnormal gene expression
of B-cell lymphocytes within the mantle zone of lymph nodes.
Normally these cells produce antibodies involved in the body's
natural immune respo