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Prognostic Value of Metabolic Tumor Volume Measured by 18F-FDG PET/CT in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas Treated by Surgery

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Abstract

Purpose

We assessed the prognostic value of metabolic tumor volume (MTV) measured using18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) inpatients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 56 patients (51 men, five women; mean age 56.0 ± 8.8years) who had locally advanced HNSCC and underwent FDG PET/CT for initial evaluation. All patients had surgical resection and radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy. The peak standardized uptake value (SUVpeak) and MTV of the target lesion, including primary HNSCC andmetastatic cervical lymph nodes, were measured from FDG PET/CT images. We compared SUVpeak, MTV, and clinicopathologic variables such as age, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, pN stage, pT stage, TNM stage, histologic grade and treatment modality to disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

Results

On the initial FDG PET/CT scans, the median SUVpeak was 7.8 (range, 1.8-19.0) and MTV was17.0 cm3 (range, 0.1-131.0 cm3). The estimated 2-year DFS and OS rates were 67.2% and 81.8%. The cutoff points of SUVpeak 6.2 and MTV 20.7 cm3 were the best discriminative values for predicting clinical outcome. MTV and ECOG performance status were significantly related to DFS and OS on univariate and multivariate analyses (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

The MTV obtained from initial FDG PET/CT scan is a significant prognostic factor for disease recurrence and mortality in locally advanced HNSCC treated with surgery and radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy.

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Acknowledgements

The research was supported by the Converging Research Center Program through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2010 K001055).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

    Kyu-Ho Choi, Ie Ryung Yoo, Eun Ji Han, Sae Jung Na, So Lyung Jung, So-Yeon Lee & Sung Hoon Kim

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

    Yeon Sil Kim & Gi Won Kim

  3. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

    Dong-Il Sun & Min-Sik Kim

  4. Department of Hospital Pathology, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

    Chan-Kwon Jung

  5. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul St.Mary’s Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seochogu Banpodong 505, Seoul, Korea, 137-701

    Ie Ryung Yoo

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  1. Kyu-Ho Choi
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Choi, KH., Yoo, I.R., Han, E.J. et al. Prognostic Value of Metabolic Tumor Volume Measured by 18F-FDG PET/CT in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas Treated by Surgery. Nucl Med Mol Imaging 45, 43–51 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13139-010-0063-7

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