Maximum tumor diameter (MTD) showed a strong association with the risk for relapse in patients with limited-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) achieving PET negativity, with each centimeter increase in MTD linked to a 21% higher risk for relapse.

“This international validation study confirms MTD is strongly associated with relapse risk in patients with LS-HL [limited-stage HL] achieving PET− and informs decision-making around risk-adapted application of radiotherapy...Treatment modality and MTD were independent risk factors; patients with higher MTD receiving chemotherapy alone had the greatest relapse risk,” the authors of the study wrote.

This study was led by Elizabeth H. Phillips, PhD, Division of Cancer Sciences, The University of Manchester and Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, England. It was published online on May 13 in Blood Advances.

According to the authors, this study lacked centralized radiology review, which may have affected the consistency of MTD measurements across different imaging planes. Additionally, baseline PET assessment was not mandatory in either trial, limiting the ability to compare tumor diameter measurements with advanced PET metrics such as metabolic tumor volume.

This study received support from the National Institute for Health Research and Social Care, the Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for Medical Engineering at King’s College London, and the National Institute for Health Research Manchester Biomedical Research Centre. Additional disclosures are noted in the original article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.