title: [Positron emission tomography with fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose is useful for predicting the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is heterogenous in terms of its glucose metabolism. Positron emission tomography with fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) shows various levels of FDG uptake for patients with HCC. This study was designed to assess the usefulness of FDG-PET for predicting the outcome of the patients with HCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  FDG-PET was performed for 27 patients with HCC. The standardized uptake value (SUV) and SUV ratio (defined as the tumor-to-nontumor ratio of SUV) was calculated for each patient. The clinical factors of the outcome were analyzed by regression analysis using Cox's multivariate proportional hazard model. The survival rate was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the analyzed clinical factors including tumor size, number of tumors, AFP, involvement of major vessels, presence of systemic metastases, Child-Pugh class the SUV and SUV ratio, only the SUV was the only significant independent prognostic factor (p=0.001). On the basis of the SUV, the patients were divided into two groups of roughly equal size: group A, SUV of <7; group B, SUV > or =7. The cumulative survival rate was significantly lower for group B than for group A, and the median survival time was significantly different (4 months vs 15 months, respectively) (p=0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that FDG-PET is useful to predict the outcome for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yun Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Chul Ju
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Sang Dae
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Wee Sik
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Min Jae
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seung Seog
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Ki
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sook Hyang
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: You Cheoul
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jhin Oh
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Gi Jeong
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Cheon
authors.forename: Chang Woon
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Sang Moo
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011379:Prognosis; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18