Peak of standardized uptake value in oral cancer predicts survival adjusting for pathological stage

Abstract

Background/Aim: To predict survival outcomes of different patients with the same stage of disease is difficult. The possible correlation between 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) uptake parameters and survival outcomes was investigated in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients by multivariate analysis adjusted for the pathological stage according to the 8th edition of the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) classification of the Union for International Cancer Contro. Patients and Methods: 18F-FDG-uptake parameters of 28 patients were assessed by positron emission tomography with computed tomography (PET/CT). Results: A peak of standardized uptake value of primary tumor (p-SUVpeak) of ≥14.1 was significantly correlated with shorter overall survival by univariate and multivariate analyses adjusted for the pathological TNM stage. A p-SUVpeak of ≥14.1 was significantly associated with shorter local recurrence-free survival and disease-free survival. Conclusion: A higher p-SUVpeak on pretreatment 18F-FDG-PET/CT is a prognostic parameter of identifying lower survival outcomes.