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Correlation Between Semiquantitative Metabolic Parameters After PET/CT and Histologic Prognostic Factors in Laryngeal and Pharyngeal Carcinoma

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Abstract

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has shown prognostic significance in head and neck cancer patients. The underlying pathologic features that could explain the mechanisms associated with this observation are not clear. To analyze the correlation between 18-F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (18F-FDG) uptake assessed by PET/CT in head and neck cancer and histopathologic prognostic factors. Ninety-nine patients with laryngeal and pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma were retrospectively reviewed for pretreatment PET/CT measurements, namely standardized uptake value (SUV), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG). The corresponding histologic material was evaluated for tumor stroma-related prognostic factors such as the amount and type of stroma, lymphocytic response, tumor budding activity, and size of tumor cell nests in the tumor core area and tumor front. TLG and MTV were associated with tumor localization, as they were higher in oropharyngeal tumors. These values were also associated with tumor cell nest size in the tumor core with higher values corresponding to tumors with smaller nests. MTV40% was marginally associated with fibroblastic stroma type and higher budding activity. SUVmax was not associated with the histological factors in the whole sample, but higher values trended with higher tumor budding activity and stroma-rich tumors of the oropharynx. 18F-FDG PET measurements in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas are associated with prognostic histopathologic factors and suggest a possible correlation of glucose metabolism to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Mr Philippe Cosmo from the Tumorothèque/Centre de Ressources Biologiques de CHU Saint-Etienne (BRIF No. BB-0033-00041) for his assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, 42055, CEDEX2 Saint-Étienne, France

    Georgia Karpathiou, Jean Marc Dumollard & Michel Peoc’h

  2. Department of Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Étienne, France

    Marie Gavid, Marine Vieville, Yann Lelonge & Jean Michel Prades

  3. Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Étienne, France

    Nathalie Prevot-Bitot & Anthony Dhomps

  4. Pneumonology North Hospital, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Étienne, France

    Marios Froudarakis

Authors
  1. Georgia Karpathiou
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  2. Marie Gavid
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  3. Nathalie Prevot-Bitot
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  4. Anthony Dhomps
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  5. Jean Marc Dumollard
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  6. Marine Vieville
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  8. Jean Michel Prades
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  9. Marios Froudarakis
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  10. Michel Peoc’h
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Correspondence to Georgia Karpathiou.

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Karpathiou, G., Gavid, M., Prevot-Bitot, N. et al. Correlation Between Semiquantitative Metabolic Parameters After PET/CT and Histologic Prognostic Factors in Laryngeal and Pharyngeal Carcinoma. Head and Neck Pathol 14, 724–732 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-019-01116-z

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