Prognostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan volumetric parameters in head-and-neck cancer patients after treatment

Background: A few studies have evaluated the predictive value of fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in patients with head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods: We performed a retrospective study on 32 HNSCC patients, undergoing PET/CT after completion of planned treatment. The PET/CT volumetric parameters measured separately for primary tumor site and nodal or distant metastases. The primary outcome measure of the study was overall survival. Results: There was significant difference between alive and dead patients regarding some of volumetric parameters. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses demonstrated association between metabolic tumor burdens with survival outcome. There was also significant difference in time to survival between patients with metastatic metabolic tumor burden and metastatic total lesion glycolysis (TLG) above and below 50th percentile. Conclusion: PET/CT volumetric parameters including metabolic tumor burden and TLG are significant prognostic markers for overall survival of patients with primary HNSCC after treatment.