Deauville score: Meaning in a Radiology Report

Also written as: Deauville five-point scale, Deauville criteria, 5-point scale, 5PS

The Deauville score is a 1 to 5 scale that rates lymphoma activity on a PET scan by comparing it with the blood in the chest and the liver.

What it means

FDG PET shows areas that use a lot of sugar, as most lymphomas do. The Deauville score compares the most active remaining lymphoma with two references in your body: blood in the middle of the chest, and the liver. A 1 means no uptake. A 2 is at or below the chest blood. A 3 is above that but not above the liver. A 4 is moderately above the liver, and 5 is well above it or new disease.

When it matters

Scores of 1 to 3 usually count as a complete metabolic response: no active lymphoma is seen. Some treatment plans read a 3 more cautiously. A 4 or 5 means some activity remains. Doctors compare it with the scan before treatment to see whether it has fallen, stayed the same or risen. Inflammation after treatment can also light up, so a biopsy or repeat scan is sometimes suggested.

Questions to ask your doctor

Was this scan done during treatment or after it, and does that change the meaning?
How does the activity compare with my scan from before treatment?
Could inflammation explain a score of 4 or 5 rather than lymphoma?

General information, not medical advice. What a finding means for you depends on your symptoms, your history and the images themselves, so talk your results through with a doctor.