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Association between PD-L1 expression and 18F-FDG uptake in ovarian cancer

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Abstract

Objective

Immunotherapy for programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand, PD-L1, has been considered an effective treatment for ovarian cancer. 18F-labeled fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) is a widely used noninvasive imaging tool for diagnosing several cancers. In this study, we investigated the association between PD-L1 expression and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) using 18F-FDG PET/CT.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of patients with ovarian cancer who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT. Patients were categorized into two groups according to PD-L1 expression results. The relationship between clinicopathological characteristics of patients with ovarian cancer and PD-L1 expression was examined.

Results

SUVmax was significantly higher in PD-L1-positive tumors than in PD-L1-negative tumors (16.1 ± 5.2 and 12.7 ± 7.0, respectively; p = 0.026). There were no significant differences in age, histologic type, and tumor grade between the PD-L1-negative and PD-L1-positive groups. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that the highest accuracy (61.8%) for predicting PD-L1 expression was obtained with an SUVmax cutoff value of 10.5.

Conclusion

There was a significant correlation between 18F-FDG uptake and PD-L1 expression, suggesting a role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in selecting ovarian cancer candidates for anti-PD-L1 antibody therapy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Yun Jung Choi

  2. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, South Korea

    KwanHyeong Jo

  3. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemungu, Seoul, 03722, South Korea

    Sang Hyun Hwang & Won Jun Kang

  4. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Yongin Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Yongin, South Korea

    YongHyu Jeong

  5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Women’s Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Jung-Yun Lee, Sunghoon Kim, Sang Wun Kim & Young Tae Kim

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  1. Yun Jung Choi
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  2. KwanHyeong Jo
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  9. Won Jun Kang
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Correspondence to Won Jun Kang.

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Choi, Y.J., Jo, K., Hwang, S.H. et al. Association between PD-L1 expression and 18F-FDG uptake in ovarian cancer. Ann Nucl Med 35, 415–420 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-020-01571-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-020-01571-7

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