Correlation Between Lymph Node Apparent Diffusion Coefficient and Positron Emission Tomography Standardised Uptake Value in Paediatric Patients with Lymphoma

Shonit Punwani¹, Steve Bandula², Vineet Prakash², Alan Bainbridge², Enrico De Vita¹, Nicola Stevens², Stuart Taylor¹, Sharon Hain², Stephen Daw², Ananth Shankar², Paul Humphries²

Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) produces images reflecting the metabolic activity of tumour tissue but imparts a significant radiation dose to the patient. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) is known to be related to cellular density. In theory cellular density should be related to metabolic activity and as such ADC values could provide a potential non-ionising surrogate measure of 'functional' activity. This study aims to evaluate this relationship for lymph nodes in paediatric and adolescent patients diagnosed with lymphoma prior to treatment.