Prognostic significance of standardized uptake value and metabolic tumour volume on ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

Standardized uptake value (SUV) and metabolic tumour volume (MTV) measured by (18)F-FDG PET/CT are emerging prognostic biomarkers in human solid cancers. However, their prognostic significance in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) has been investigated in only a few studies and with small cohorts. In the present study we evaluated the ability of SUV, MTV, and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) measured on pretreatment (18)F-FDG PET/CT to predict recurrence and survival outcomes in OPSCC.

METHODS:

The study included 221 patients with OPSCC who underwent pretreatment (18)F-FDG PET/CT imaging and received definitive treatment at our tertiary referral centre. The PET imaging parameters SUVmax, SUVpeak, MTV and TLG were measured in primary tumours with focal (18)F-FDG uptake. Clinical and imaging variables significantly associated with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were identified by univariate and multivariate analyses using the Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS:

Overall 5-year OS and DFS rates were 72.0 % and 79.5 %, respectively, during a median follow-up of 61 months (range 18 - 122 months). The cut-off values of tumour SUVmax, SUVpeak, MTV and TLG for prediction of DFS were 7.55, 6.80, 11.06 mL and 78.56 g, respectively. Univariate analyses showed that age >60 years, advanced tumour stage, and high tumour SUVmax, SUVpeak, MTV and TLG were significantly associated with decreased OS and DFS (P < 0.05 each). Age, tumour SUVmax and MTV remained independent variables for OS and DFS (P < 0.05 each) in the multivariate analyses.

CONCLUSION:

SUVmax and MTV measured on pretreatment (18)F-FDG PET/CT may be useful in predicting the clinical outcomes in OPSCC patients. This study investigated the clinical prognostic value of imaging parameters from pretreatment (18)F-FDG PET/CT in 221 patients who underwent definitive treatment for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. High maximum standardized uptake value and metabolic tumour volume were independently associated with decreased disease-free and overall survival outcomes.

• Authors: Ji Won Kim, Jungsu S Oh, Jong-Lyel Roh, Jae Seung Kim, Seung-Ho Choi, Soon Yuhl Nam, Sang Yoon Kim
• Journal: European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging (Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging) Vol. 42 Issue 9 Pg. 1353-61 (Aug 2015) ISSN: 1619-7089 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 26067088 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Fluorodeoxyglucose F18

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Biological Transport
• Carcinoma, Squamous Cell (diagnosis, metabolism, pathology)
• Female
• Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 (metabolism)
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Multimodal Imaging
• Oropharyngeal Neoplasms (diagnosis, metabolism, pathology)
• Positron-Emission Tomography
• Prognosis
• Recurrence
• Retrospective Studies
• Survival Analysis
• Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• Tumor Burden