Prognostic value of posttreatment 18 F-FDG PET/CT and predictors of metabolic response to therapy in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer treated with concomitant chemoradiation therapy: an analysis of intensity- and volume-based PET parameters

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the prognostic value of posttreatment ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) treated with concomitant chemoradiation therapy (CCRT). The secondary aim was to assess the possible role of intensity-based and volume-based PET parameters including SUVmax, SUVmean, MTV and TLG, and clinical parameters including age, pathology, FIGO stage and nodal involvement as factors predicting response to treatment.

Methods

This retrospective study included 82 patients affected by LACC treated with CCRT. All patients underwent ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT both before and after treatment. The posttreatment PET/CT scans were used to classify patients as complete metabolic responders (CMR) or non-complete metabolic responders (N-CMR) according to the EORTC criteria. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate differences in overall survival (OS) between the CMR and N-CMR groups. Student's t test, Pearson's chi-squared test and logistic regression were used to investigate the possible value of PET and clinical parameters as predictors of metabolic response to therapy.

Results

Kaplan­Meier analysis showed a highly significant difference in OS between the CMR and N-CMR groups (log-rank test p < 0.0001). Significant independent predictors of response to therapy were MTV (p = 0.019, odds ratio = 1.015, 95% CI = 1.002–1.028, Nagelkerke R² = 0.110), TLG (p = 0.045, odds ratio = 1.001, 95% CI = 1.000–1.002, Nagelkerke R² = 0.081) and nodal involvement (p = 0.088, odds ratio = 2.361, 95% CI = 0.879–6.343, Nagelkerke R² = 0.051).

Conclusion

¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT-based response assessment using the EORTC criteria reliably predicts OS in LACC patients treated with CCRT. In our cohort of patients, pretreatment MTV and TLG and nodal involvement were predictors of response to therapy. MTV was the best predictor of response. However, its additional risk value seems to be low (MTV odds ratio = 1.015).

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