Baseline ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT quantitative parameters as prognostic factors in esophageal squamous cell cancer

To determine the utility of [¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT quantitative parameters as prognostic factors for the response to neoadjuvant treatment, progression-free survival (PFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Thirty patients (29 men) diagnosed with SCC were retrospectively evaluated over a 6-year interval. Metabolic parameters were determined: maximum SUV (SUVmax), mean SUV (SUVmed), metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) from baseline PET/CT study. After treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, response to treatment and patient survival were assessed. The comparison of parameters between groups of responders and non-responders was carried out using a Mann-Whitney U test ROC curves and the Kaplan-Meier method were used for analysis of prognostic factors and survival curves.

The average follow-up was 22.4 months, with 22 recurrence-progressions and 25 deaths. Significant differences were demonstrated between responders and non-responders with respect to tumor size, MTV and TLG. Survival analysis found significant differences for SCE and CSS depending on these three parameters.

Metabolic parameters MTV and TLG, and tumor size were prognostic factors for neoadjuvant treatment response, PFS, and CSS in patients diagnosed with SCC. Neither SUVmax nor SUVmed were predictive for any of the evaluation criteria. Results could help to personalize patient treatment.