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Influence of Biological Parameters Assessed in [18F]FDG PET/CT on Overall Survival in Cervical Cancer Patients.
PET/CT Updates, Research & Education
January 2020
Purpose
The aim of this study was to estimate the influence of biological parameters assessed in [F]FDG PET/CT on overall survival (OS) in cervical cancer patients.
Methods
Retrospective analysis was performed on a group of 371 patients with newly diagnosed and histologically confirmed cervical cancer. PET biological parameters in primary tumor including SUVmax, SUVmean, total lesion glycolysis (TLG), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), heterogeneity, and parameters referring both to primary tumor and metastatic lesions: SUVtotal, TLGtotal, and MTVtotal, were analyzed.
Results
Based on PET/CT results, 3 subgroups were identified: cervical only-with disease limited only to the cervix (38%), +regional nodeswhere increased glucose accumulation in addition to the cervical area was also observed in regional lymph nodes (36%), and +distal metastaseswhere
PET scan showed a disseminated disease (26%). Depending on the stage of the disease, in the cervical-only group, 5-year survival rate was 86%; in the +regional nodes group, it was 80%; whereas in the +distal metastases group, 5-year survival rate was only 55%. However, based on
Cox regression model, significant influence on OS was found only in heterogeneity of primary tumor; more inhomogeneous tumors suggest worse prognosis (0.25 ± 0.04 vs 0.16 ± 0.09, P < 0.001), SUVtotal (76.6 ± 130.1 vs 45.4 ± 73.4, P = 0.002), and MTVtotal (79.03 ± 88.27 vs 63.00 ± 83.80 cm, P = 0.03). For heterogeneity, cutoff point suggesting worse prognosis was 0.18; for SUVtotal, 52.3; and for MTVtotal, 66.55 cm.
Conclusion
Stage of disease assessed in [F]FDG PET/CT significantly influences survival rate in patients with cervical cancer. SUVtotal, MTVtotal, and heterogeneity of primary tumor are independent prognostic factors on OS in cervical cancer patients.
Source: Clin Nucl Med. 2019 Nov;44(11):860-863. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0000000000002733.
< https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31348081 > Retrieved 14 January 2020.
January Cervical Cancer Awareness
- The American Cancer Society estimates there will be approximately 13,800 new cases of invasive cervical cancer diagnosed in the United States in 2020.
- Though once one of the most common causes of cancer death in the United States, cervical cancer death rates have dropped significantly with the increased use of the Pap test, leading to an increase in cervical pre-cancer diagnoses.
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