Does the FDG Uptake of Primary Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Predict Prognosis?. A Work in Progress

OBJECTIVE: To determine if the intensity of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in primary non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) could independently predict patient prognosis.METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with untreated NSCLC were studied with FDG-PET. Primary tumor FDG uptake was calculated by the standardized uptake value based on lean body mass (SUV-lean). Cumulative survival rate and the SUV-lean were compared.RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the tumor stages and the SUV-lean. Although the survival rates significantly decreased as the stage progressed (p =.0049), there was no significant difference in the survival rate between the group with lower primary tumor FDG uptake (SUV-lean 8.72) (p =.2256). However, in the subset of patients without metastasis, survival tended to be longer with a lower tumor SUV-lean.CONCLUSION: In this population of patients with NSCLC, the tumor FDG uptake does not independently predict the prognosis.