Newly diagnosed lymphoma patients were recruited for FDG PET/CT and PET/CT guided bone marrow biopsy. All the patients also underwent routine bone marrow sampling from the posterior superior iliac spine.

Newly diagnosed patients underwent FDG PET/CT for whole-body staging. All the PET/CT images were analyzed by a qualified nuclear medicine physician. The bone marrow FDG uptake was classified as negative, focal, multifocal and diffuse marrow uptake. A PET/CT guided metabolic bone marrow sampling from the FDG avid marrow-based lesion was done. However, patients with diffuse FDG avidity or no uptake in the marrow differed for PET-guided biopsy. All the patients underwent routine trephine bone marrow sampling. Bone marrow infiltration (final diagnosis) was established based on trephine bone marrow sampling and FDG PET/CT targeted bone marrow biopsy results in the present study. The results of both the biopsies were correlated with the final diagnosis.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Newly diagnosed cases of lymphoma (both HL and NHL).
2. Hypermetabolic bone marrow lesions on staging 18F-FDG PET/CT, which are accessible for biopsy.
3. Aged between 18 -80 years.
4. Informed consent prior to the procedure.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Previously treated/relapsed lymphoma.
2. Initiation of therapy (chemotherapy, radiation therapy) and/or hematopoietic growth factor injections before 18F-FDG PET/CT or BMTB.
3. Patients who underwent a prior BMTB to evaluate the role of BMI.
4. Patients with pre-existing bleeding diatheses like hemophilia, coagulopathy, INR > 1.2 and platelet counts < 50,000/mm3,
5. Patients who refuse to provide informed consent.
6. No 18F FDG avid skeletal lesions.
7. Pregnant/Lactating female patients.
8. Non-cooperative patients.

Treatment naïve patients of lymphoma who underwent FDG PET/CT for initial staging were recruited.

Study protocol can be shared only on reasonable requests.