title: Prognostic Significance of Volume-based Metabolic Parameters by (18)F-FDG PET/CT in Gallbladder Carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the prognostic values of volume-based metabolic parameters by (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in gallbladder carcinoma patients and compared them with other prognostic parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  We enrolled 44 patients, who were initially diagnosed with gallbladder carcinoma and undergoing (18)F-FDG PET/CT. Various metabolic volume-based PET parameters of primary tumors, including maximum and average standardized uptake values (SUVmax, SUVavg), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG), were measured in gallbladder carcinoma patients using mediastinal blood pool activity as a threshold SUV for determining the tumor boundaries. Overall survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method with PET parameters and other clinical variables. For determining independent prognostic factors, Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 44 enrolled patients, cancer- or treatment-related death occurred in 30 (68.2 %). The mean clinical follow-up period was 22.2 ± 10.4 m (range, 0.6-35.9 m). Univariate analysis demonstrated that clinical or pathologic TNM stage (P < 0.001), treatment modality (P < 0.001), MTV (cutoff = 135 cm(3), P = 0.001), and TLG (cutoff = 7,090, P < 0.05) were significant prognostic factors. In multivariate analysis, both clinical or pathologic TNM stage [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.019 (I vs II), 21.287 (I vs III), and 24.354 (I vs IV); P = 0.001) and TLG (HR = 2.930; P < 0.05) were independent prognostic factors for predicting overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In gallbladder cancer, TLG of the primary tumor, a volume-based metabolic parameter, is a significant independent prognostic factor for overall survival in conjunction with the clinical or pathological TNM stage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-710 Korea.
authors.forename: Jang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-710 Korea.
authors.forename: Joon Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyu Taek
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Seok
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Heo
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-710 Korea.
authors.forename: Soo Bin
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-710 Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Hwan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-710 Korea.
authors.forename: Yearn Seong
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Choe
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-710 Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung-Han
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-710 Korea.
authors.forename: Byung-Tae
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: 18F-FDG; Gallbladder carcinoma; Metabolic tumor volume; PET/CT; Prognosis; Total lesion glycolysis