Background/Objectives: Differentiating tumour recurrence from treatment-related changes (TRC) after multimodal treatment of high-grade gliomas (HGGs) remains challenging because of the overlap in imaging findings on conventional magnetic resonance. This study compared the diagnostic performance of the main static semiquantitative O-(2-[18F]fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine positron emission tomography ([18F]FET-PET) parameters and assessed the diagnostic contribution of qualitative tracer uptake. Methods: This retrospective single-centre study included 77 scans from 61 adult patients with previously resected and chemoradiotherapy-treated HGGs undergoing [18F]FET-PET for suspected recurrence. Standardised uptake values (SUVs), tumour-to-background ratios (TBRs), and metabolic tumour volume (MTV) were analysed. Recurrence was determined using a composite histopathological and clinical–radiological reference standard. Diagnostic performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic analysis, Youden-derived cut-offs and DeLong comparisons. Internal validation was performed by using patient-grouped five-fold cross-validation, in which cut-offs were re-derived within each training partition and applied to the held-out partition. Results: Forty-nine scans were classified as recurrence and 28 as TRC. All semiquantitative parameters except MTV were significantly higher in recurrent disease after false-discovery-rate correction. TBR mean ratio showed the highest accuracy (AUC, 0.80; cut-off, 1.85; sensitivity, 77.6%; specificity, 75.0%), followed by SUV max (AUC, 0.793). Neither prespecified comparison among TBR parameters was significant. The presence of pathological uptake achieved 100% sensitivity, 42.9% specificity, 100% NPV, and 79.2% accuracy. MTV was non-discriminative (AUC, 0.499). SUV max differed significantly between scanners (p = 0.008). Conclusions: Static semiquantitative [18F]FET-PET parameters, except MTV, showed comparable moderate-to-good performance for distinguishing recurrence from TRC. TBRmean may represent a pragmatic primary marker due to its background normalisation reduction of scanner-related variability. Guideline-recommended thresholds should be regarded as reference values requiring local validation and, when appropriate, centre- and protocol-specific calibration.
Dural-based lymphomas are rare extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas that span from indolent primary dural entities, most commonly extranodal marginal zone (mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue) lymphoma, to aggressive variants that are primary or represent secondary involvement from systemic lymphoma. They overlap radiologically with benign meningiomas, dural metastases, and immune-mediated pachymeningitis, creating a risk of anchoring bias, delayed diagnosis, and unnecessarily extensive resections when limited tissue sampling would be sufficient for diagnosis. We conducted a structured narrative review to synthesize the epidemiology, clinico-pathological classification, imaging phenotypes, and management principles of dural lymphomatous disease. This study will especially focus on primary dural lymphoma (PDL) with additional discussion of secondary dural involvement. Emphasis is placed on the clinical value of a multiparametric diagnostic approach that integrates computed tomography contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging with functional techniques, and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography for systemic staging and for distinguishing truly localized primary dural lymphoma from secondary involvement. Potential diagnostic pitfalls related to somatostatin receptor–based tracer uptake will also be discussed. We introduced a pragmatic operational framework based on four clinico-biological clusters, translated into a step-by-step decision algorithm that prioritizes timely biopsy and comprehensive hematologic staging to guide surgical strategy. Given the absence of dedicated, multidisciplinary guidance for dural-based lymphomas, this algorithm is intended as a reproducible foundation for consensus recommendations and future multicenter validation.
Dural-based lymphomas are rare extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas that span from indolent primary dural entities, most commonly the extranodal marginal zone (mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue) lymphoma, to aggressive variants that are primary or represent secondary involvement from systemic lymphoma. They overlap radiologically with benign meningiomas, dural metastases, and immune-mediated pachymeningitis, creating a risk of anchoring bias, delayed diagnosis, and unnecessarily extensive resections when limited tissue sampling would be sufficient for diagnosis. We conducted a structured narrative review to synthesize the epidemiology, clinico-pathological classification, imaging phenotypes, and management principles of dural lymphomatous disease. This study will especially focus on primary dural lymphoma (PDL) with additional discussion of secondary dural involvement. Emphasis is placed on the clinical value of a multiparametric diagnostic approach that integrates computed tomography contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging with functional techniques, and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography for systemic staging and for distinguishing truly localized primary dural lymphoma from secondary involvement. Potential diagnostic pitfalls related to somatostatin receptor–based tracer uptake will also be discussed. We introduced a pragmatic operational framework based on four clinico-biological clusters, translated into a step-by-step decision algorithm that prioritizes timely biopsy and comprehensive hematologic staging to guide surgical strategy. Given the absence of dedicated, multidisciplinary guidance for dural-based lymphomas, this algorithm is intended as a reproducible foundation for consensus recommendations and future multicenter validation.