Associations of whole-body 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters and SCC-Ag level with overall survival in patients with cervical cancer.

Abstract

To explore the whole-body metabolic tumour volume (WBMTV), whole-body total lesion glycolysis (WBTLG) and tumour whole-body maximum standardised uptake value (WBSUVmax) of post-treatment 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) in predicting the overall survival (OS) in patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The clinical data of 74 patients with cervical SCC who received 18F-FDG PET/CT were retrospectively analysed. WBMTV, WBTLG and WBSUVmax, as well as the serum SCC-Ag level, were measured. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression were used to analyse the relationships of PET/CT parameters with OS. The risk of death was 13.942-fold greater in the PET-positive group than in the PET-negative group (P < 0.001). In the PET-positive group, univariate analysis showed that OS was significantly correlated with WBMTV and WBTLG; it was not correlated with WBSUVmax, SCC-Ag, age, pathological stage or treatment after PET (P > 0.05). Patients with positive PET findings were divided into two groups according to the median of WBMTV or WBTLG; there was a significant difference in OS between the two groups. The risk of death in patients with positive PET imaging findings and high SCC-Ag level was 18.356-fold greater than in patients with negative PET imaging findings (P < 0.001). WBMTV and WBTLG have important prognostic value in the prediction of OS in post-treatment patients with cervical SCC. OS was significantly decreased in patients who had both positive PET imaging findings and high SCC-Ag level.