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Pretreatment [18F]FDG PET/CT and MRI in the prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

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Abstract

Objective

The present study aimed to assess the prognostic interest of metabolic and anatomic parameters derived from 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-d-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([18F]FDG PET/CT) and head and neck magnetic resonance imaging (HN-MRI) for better management of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods

In this study, pre-treatment [18F]FDG PET/CT and HN-MRI parameters of NPC patients diagnosed between January 2017 and December 2018, were prospectively investigated. Correlation between those parameters and 4-year patient’s survival outcomes was evaluated using Kaplan–Meier and Cox-regression analyses.

Results

Our results revealed a significant association between pre-treatment nodal-maximum standardized uptake value (N-SUV max) and N categories (p = 0.01), between pre-treatment node-to-tumor SUV ratio (NTR) and both tumor size (p = 0.01) and N categories (p = 0.009), as well as between metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and both tumor size and NPC overall stage (p < 0.000). In multivariate analyses, pre-treatment N-SUV max, NTR and MTV were significant independent predictors of overall survival, distant metastasis-free survival, and progression-free survival (PFS) (p < 0.05). N-SUV max and MTV were also found to be significant independent predictors of loco-regional recurrence-free survival (p < 0.05), whereas HN-MRI detection of skull-base bone invasion was an independent factor associated with worse PFS in NPC (p = 0.03).

Conclusions

The present study highlights N-SUV max, NTR and MTV derived from [18F]FDG PET/CT, and skull-base bone invasion defined by HN-MRI, as promising metabolic and anatomic prognosis biomarkers for NPC.

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Acknowledgements

Acknowledgments We are grateful to Pr Nadia Benchakroun,  Pr Zineb Bouchbika, Pr Souha Sahraoui, Pr Abdellatif Benider and the entire staff of Mohammed VI Center for Cancer Treatment, Ibn Rochd University Hospital for patients’ recruitment and assistance of patient’s appointments. Our gratitude goes also to Dr Jaafar Ibnohoud and Dr. Ibrahim Idbelkass from Nuclear Medicine Department for assistance in [18F]FDG PET/CT data files’ management; and Wafaa khaali from laboratory of Viral Oncology, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, for reviewing the final manuscript.

Funding

This study was funded by the Institut de Recherche sur le Cancer (IRC) Ref: 201932, and the Centre National de l'Energie, des Sciences et des Techniques Nucléaires (CNESTEN).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Viral Oncology, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, 1 Place Louis Pasteur, 20360, Casablanca, Morocco

    Amina Gihbid, Imane El Alami & Meriem Khyatti

  2. Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences Ain Chock, Hassan II University, Casablanca, Morocco

    Amina Gihbid & Rachida Cadi

  3. Nuclear Medicine Department, Ibn Rochd University Hospital, Hassan II University, Casablanca, Morocco

    Ghofrane Cherkaoui Salhi & Amal Guensi

  4. Department of Radiology, 20 Août 1953 Hospital, University Hospital Center Ibn Rochd, Hassan II University, Casablanca, Morocco

    Hasnaa Belgadir & Naima El Benna

  5. Mohammed VI Center for Cancer Treatment, Ibn Rochd University Hospital, Casablanca, Morocco

    Nezha Tawfiq & Karima Bendahou

  6. Biology and Medical Research Unit, National Center of Energy, Sciences and Nuclear Techniques, Rabat, Morocco

    Mohammed El Mzibri

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  1. Amina Gihbid
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Gihbid, A., Cherkaoui Salhi, G., El Alami, I. et al. Pretreatment [18F]FDG PET/CT and MRI in the prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Ann Nucl Med 36, 876–886 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-022-01770-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-022-01770-4

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