Prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT before and after radiotherapy for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of maximal standard uptake values (SUVs(max)) from serial fluor-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).


METHODS
From October 2002 to January 2004, 62 patients with locally advanced NPC who underwent (18)F-FDG PET/CT scan before and after radiotherapy were reviewed retrospectively. We examined the association of SUV(max) and the results of long-term follow-up of the patients.


RESULTS
Patients having tumors with a lower SUV(max) had significantly better 5-year overall survival (OS) (P= 0.0187) and disease-free survival (DFS) (P = 0.0163) than patients with a greater SUV(max). The patients who showed with metabolic complete response had a significantly higher 5-year OS (P = 0.0237) and DFS (P = 0.0186) than patients with metabolic partial response. Poor prognosis was found in patients with the SUV(max) of neck nodes larger than that at the primary tumor site (SUV(max-N) > SUV(max-P)) (P = 0.0440).


CONCLUSIONS
(18)F-FDG uptake, as measured by the SUV(max) before radiotherapy and metabolic response after radiotherapy, may predict the prognosis in locally advanced NPC. High (18)F-FDG uptake before and after radiotherapy may be useful for identifying patients requiring more aggressive treatment.
Xie
P
P
Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Tumor Hospital and Institute, Jinan, China.
Yue
J-B
JB
Fu
Z
Z
Feng
R
R
Yu
J-M
JM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011379:Prognosis; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012074:Remission Induction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18