title: Cardiac ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake on positron emission tomography after thoracic stereotactic body radiation therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous studies have shown that increased cardiac uptake of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) on positron emission tomography (PET) may be an indicator of myocardial injury after radiotherapy. We reviewed patients treated with thoracic stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and established correlations between SBRT dose and observed changes in cardiac FDG-PET uptake.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis identified 39 patients that were treated with SBRT for lung tumors close to the heart. Patients were grouped according to whether or not they had changes in cardiac FDG-PET uptake within the planned SBRT field.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At a median follow-up interval of 39 months (range, 6-81 months), nine patients (23%) showed increased cardiac FDG uptake associated with the heart V₂₀. Of the 19 patients who received 20 Gy to ≥5 cm(3) of the heart, nine (47%) developed increased FDG uptake (vs. 0% for the 20 patients who received 20 Gy to <5 cm(3)) (P=0.0004), all within the 20-Gy isodose line. Patients with hypercholesterolemia prior to SBRT were also more likely to show increased cardiac FDG uptake (P=0.0190).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased FDG uptake in the heart after SBRT was observed when the 20 Gy isodose line exceeded 5 cm(3) of the heart.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, United States; Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock, United States.
authors.forename: Jaden D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.forename: Joe Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Gregory W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Gladish
authors.forename: Jeremy J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Erasmus
authors.forename: Neal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rebueno
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Banchs
authors.forename: Ritsuko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Komaki
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Welsh
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D016634:Radiosurgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
keywords: FDG–PET; Heart; Radiation toxicity; SABR; SBRT