The Lugano Classification, published in 2014 and also referred to as Cheson 2014, updated and replaced the previously utilized 2007 IWG-NHL guidelines (Cheson 2007). The primary goals of the Lugano Classification were to improve the radiologic assessments of lymphoma patients during clinical trial reads, eliminate ambiguity in the assessment of response status, and provide a universally applicable approach to facilitate the comparison of patients and data for clinical trials and regulatory purposes.

Since then, several new radiologic criteria have been developed to address therapeutic efficacy, using novel therapies such as immunotherapy and cellular therapy. Here we discuss the key features of the lymphoma response criteria recommendations on the use of diagnostic CT/MRI with the evaluation of FDG-PET and a methodology to operationalize this criterion in a clinical trial.