18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and the prognosis of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) detected by positron emission tomography (PET) can be used to measure the glycolytic activity of tumor cells. Though the prognosis of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma is usually poor, a subset of patients with good prognoses may be discovered by determining the degree of FDG integration into tumors.


METHODS
Fourteen patients with histologically proven pancreatic adenocarcinoma underwent 18F-FDG PET. The standardized uptake value (SUV) of 18F-FDG was calculated, and the patients were divided into high (> or = 3.0) and low (< 3.0) SUV groups.


RESULTS
The two groups were not significantly different in terms of age, tumor location and size, staging, and treatment. However, analysis by the Kaplan-Meier method revealed that the groups had different prognoses (log rank test, P < 0.05). The mean survival of patients with high SUV was 5 months, whereas that of patients with low SUV was 14 months. There were not strong correlations between the SUVs and tumor size (0.56), serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (0.39), or carcinoembryonic antigen (0.52).


CONCLUSIONS
SUV calculated with 18F-FDG can be utilized as a prognostic factor for patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Nakata
B
B
First Department of Surgery, Osaka City University Medical School, Japan.
Chung
Y S
YS
Nishimura
S
S
Nishihara
T
T
Sakurai
Y
Y
Sawada
T
T
Okamura
T
T
Kawabe
J
J
Ochi
H
H
Sowa
M
M
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen / Q000097:blood; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D003847:Deoxyglucose