The purpose of this work was to modernize recommendations for evaluation, staging, and response assessment of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). A workshop was held at the 11th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma in Lugano, Switzerland, in June 2011, that included leading hematologists, oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, and nuclear medicine physicians, representing major international lymphoma clinical trials groups and cancer centers. Clinical and imaging subcommittees presented their conclusions at a subsequent workshop at the 12th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma, leading to revised criteria for staging and of the International Working Group Guidelines of 2007 for response. As a result, fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)–computed tomography (CT) was formally incorporated into standard staging for FDG-avid lymphomas. A modification of the Ann Arbor descriptive terminology will be used for anatomic distribution of disease extent, but the suffixes A or B for symptoms will only be included for HL. A bone marrow biopsy is no longer indicated for the routine staging of HL and most diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. However, regardless of stage, general practice is to treat patients based on limited (stages I and II, nonbulky) or advanced (stage III or IV) disease, with stage II bulky disease considered as limited or advanced disease based on histology and a number of prognostic factors. PET-CT will be used to assess response in FDG-avid histologies using the 5-point scale. The product of the perpendicular diameters of a single node can be used to identify progressive disease. Routine surveillance scans are discouraged. These recommendations should improve evaluation of patients with lymphoma and enhance the ability to compare outcomes of clinical trials.

Purpose: Standardized response criteria are needed to interpret and compare clinical trials and for approval of new therapeutic agents by regulatory agencies. Methods: The International Working Group response criteria (Cheson et al, J Clin Oncol 17:1244, 1999) were widely adopted, but required reassessment because of identified limitations and the increased use of [¹⁸F]fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (PET), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and flow cytometry. The International Harmonization Project was convened to provide updated recommendations. Results: New guidelines are presented incorporating PET, IHC, and flow cytometry for definitions of response in non-Hodgkin's and Hodgkin's lymphoma. Standardized definitions of end points are provided. Conclusion: We hope that these guidelines will be adopted widely by study groups, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and regulatory agencies to facilitate the development of new and more effective therapies to improve the outcome of patients with lymphoma.

An International Working Group met to revise the diagnostic and response criteria for acute myelogenous leukemia originally published in 1990, as well as to provide definitions of outcomes and reporting standards to improve interpretability of data and comparisons among trials. Since the original publication, there have been major advances in our understanding of the biology and molecular genetics of acute leukemia that are clinically relevant and warrant incorporation into response definitions. Differences from the 1990 recommendations included a category of leukemia-free state, new criteria for complete remission, including cytogenetic and molecular remissions and remission duration. Storage of viable blasts for correlative studies is important for future progress in the therapy of these disorders.

Treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has become more successful, largely owing to the availability of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, which may avoid the toxic effects of chemotherapy, improve the outcomes when combined with chemotherapy, and provide options for patients with refractory disease. This article reviews the current uses of monoclonal antibodies in B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

18-F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) –positron emission tomography (PET), and more recently PET/computed tomography (CT), is the most sensitive and specific imaging technique currently available for patients with lymphoma. Nevertheless, despite being increasingly used in pretreatment assessment, midtreatment evaluation of response, post-treatment restaging, and surveillance during follow-up of patients with lymphoma, its impact on clinical outcome in most clinical situations remains to be confirmed. PET/CT provides its greatest clinical benefit in the post-treatment evaluation of Hodgkin's lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; however, the role of metabolic imaging in other indications and in other histologies remains to be demonstrated. Ongoing risk-adapted studies will hopefully provide evidence for clinical improvement on the basis of altering treatment as a result of interim PET results. Efforts are ongoing to better standardize the conduct and interpretation of FDG-PET scans. FDG-PET has the potential to improve lymphoma patient management; however, its usefulness will likely vary by histology, stage, therapy, and clinical setting.

Bendamustine is a unique cytotoxic agent with structural similarities to alkylating agents and antimetabolites, but which is non–cross-resistant with alkylating agents and other drugs in vitro and in the clinic. Early clinical studies conducted in the German Democratic Republic more than 30 years ago suggested promising activity in indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Two North American trials reported responses in more than 70% of patients with chemotherapy- and rituximab-refractory disease, suggesting that bendamustine may be the most effective drug available for this patient population. Response rates of 90% to 92%, with complete remission in 55% to 60%, have been reported in patients with follicular and mantle-cell lymphoma with the combination of bendamustine and rituximab. Superiority over chlorambucil in previously untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) led to its recent approval for this disease in the United States. Bendamustine is approved in Germany for the treatment of patients with indolent NHL, CLL, and multiple myeloma. Activity has also been noted in patients with breast cancer and small-cell lung cancer. Questions related to the optimization of bendamustine therapy, including dose and schedule, role relative to other available agents, and management of toxicities, are being investigated. However, the availability of bendamustine provides another effective treatment option for patients with lymphoid malignancies.