Deauville Score on Your Lymphoma PET Scan — What Each Number From 1 to 5 Means

A Deauville score is a number from 1 to 5 that a radiologist assigns to a PET-CT scan after lymphoma treatment, based on how much a previously affected site is absorbing the scan's tracer compared with two fixed reference points — your blood pool in the chest and your liver. A score of 1 means no uptake above normal background; 2 means uptake at or below the blood pool; 3 means uptake above the blood pool but at or below the liver; 4 means uptake moderately higher than the liver; and 5 means uptake markedly higher than the liver, or new sites of uptake. The same five-point scale is used across Hodgkin lymphoma and most types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as part of the Lugano Classification used by NCCN and other guideline bodies worldwide.

A score of 1, 2 or 3 is generally read as a favourable response, showing little to no remaining metabolic activity at the sites your lymphoma was found before treatment. A score of 4 or 5 generally prompts your team to look more closely, though it does not automatically mean your lymphoma has returned. Where your own score falls in this range matters less than the context around it — whether the scan was done partway through treatment or at the end, and which lymphoma subtype and protocol your team is following. Only your treating team, looking at your full report and history together, can say what your own specific score means for your care.

Your radiologist first assigns a Deauville score by comparing uptake at each previously affected site with your blood pool and liver. Your treating team then reviews the complete report, not just the number — factoring in when the scan was done, your specific lymphoma subtype, and how it compares with any prior scans. A score generally in the 1-3 range is usually discussed as a reassuring result, with a plan for continued follow-up. A score of 4, 5, or any result your team finds uncertain, may prompt a closer look — sometimes a repeat scan after an interval, a more detailed review, or occasionally a biopsy — before any change is made to your care plan. You hear the full picture directly from your team, in conversation, not from the report number alone.

Not on its own. A score of 4 or 5 means the scan shows more activity than expected at a site, compared with your liver — but that activity can come from causes besides active lymphoma, including inflammation, infection, or normal tissue activity. In younger patients especially, normal rebound growth of the thymus gland after chemotherapy can show increased activity on a chest PET scan that has nothing to do with lymphoma. Your team reviews the full picture, sometimes alongside a repeat scan or a biopsy, before drawing any conclusion about your specific result.

No. An interim PET-CT, done partway through your treatment, is generally read more cautiously than a scan done at the end of your planned course, especially for a middle score like 3. Some protocols weigh an interim score differently from the same score seen at the end of treatment, depending on your specific lymphoma subtype and the guideline your centre follows. A surveillance PET, done at intervals after treatment ends, serves a different purpose again — checking for change from your prior baseline scan rather than reassessing your original treatment.

Your PET-CT is performed and reported at an NABH-accredited partner centre equipped for nuclear medicine imaging. CION Cancer Clinics coordinates your overall care around that scan — arranging the appointment, receiving your report, and walking you through what it means for you — while the scan itself is delivered at the partner facility. This coordinated model gives you a dedicated care team guiding you through your results, even though CION does not itself own or operate PET-CT imaging equipment.