Prognostic impact of standardized uptake value of F-18 FDG PET/CT in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Abstract

Purpose: We evaluated the use of metabolic parameters of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) for the assessment of the primary tumor and nodal metastasis in predicting survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. Materials and Methods: The F-18 FDG PET/CT (computed tomography) scans of 46 consecutive newly diagnosed NPC patients were retrospectively reviewed. Maximal standardized uptake value (SUV max) corrected for lean body mass of primary tumor (pSUV max) and highest SUV max of cervical lymph nodes (nSUV max) were recorded. The association of FDG uptake and 2-year disease-free survival (DFS) was examined. Results: Significantly better DFS was found in patients with pSUV max <7.5 and nSUV max <6.5 (P = 0.042 and P = 0.019, respectively). In multivariate analysis, both pSUV max and nSUV max were significant independent predictors of DFS. Conclusions: The SUV max of the primary tumor and nodal metastasis are useful parameters for predicting DFS in NPC patients. Copyright © 2011 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.