Whole Skeletal Mean SUV Measured on ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT Studies as a Prognostic Indicator in Patients with Bone Metastatic...

In this work we assessed the association between the whole skeletal mean standardized uptake value (SUV) measured on ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT studies and the overall survival (OS) of bone metastatic breast cancer patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 176 patients with breast cancer and bone metastatic disease who performed ¹⁸F-NaF PET/CT studies. The outcomes of the patients (dead or alive) were established based on the last information available on their files. The mean and maximum SUVs were measured in a whole skeletal volume of interest (wsVOI). The wsVOI was defined based on the CT component of the PET/CT study using Hounsfield Units thresholds. The wsVOI was then applied on the ¹⁸F-NaF PET image. Univariate analyses were performed to assess the association of the SUVs with OS. We also analyzed the association of the age of the patients, the presence of visceral metastatic disease, histological subtypes, presence of hormone receptors, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression and the creatinine, CA15-3 and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels with OS. The variables statistically significant in the univariate analyses were included in a multivariate cox regression survival analysis. Results: In the univariate analyses there were associations of the mean and maximum whole skeletal SUVs, estrogen receptor status and the CA15-3 and ALP levels with OS. In the multivariate analysis, all the variables that were statistically significant in the univariate analysis but the CA15-3 were associated with OS. Conclusion: In patients with bone metastatic breast cancer, the whole skeletal mean SUV is an independent predictor of overall survival.