Abstract
The present study (University Hospital Medical Information Network study no. UMIN000003797) aimed to evaluate whether the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of pretreatment 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is prognostic factor for stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with carbon ion radiotherapy (C-ion RT). Patients treated between June 2010 and June 2013 at Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center (Maebashi, Japan) on a prospective protocol were included in the present study. Patients with T1a-b and T2a NSCLC were treated with C-ion RT at a dose of 52.8 Gy [relative biological effectiveness (RBE)] and 60.0 Gy (RBE), respectively, in four fractions. Prior to treatment, all patients underwent FDG-PET, in which the SUVmax of primary tumors was evaluated. Local control, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were calculated. A total of 45 patients were analyzed and the median follow-up period was 28.9 months. The 2-year local control, PFS and OS rates for all patients were 93, 78 and 89%, respectively. The mean SUVmax of primary tumors was 5.5, and patients were divided into higher (≥5.5) and lower (<5.5) SUVmax groups. The 2-year PFS rates were 61 and 89% for the higher and lower SUVmax groups, respectively (P=0.01), and the 2-year OS rates for the higher and lower SUVmax groups were 76 and 96%, respectively (P=0.01). The higher SUVmax group exhibited a significantly worse PFS and OS compared with the lower SUVmax group; however, the SUVmax was not associated with the local control rate. In total, 2 patients (4%) experienced grade 2 or 3 radiation pneumonitis, with their symptoms improved through conservative treatment. No patients experienced any grade 4 or 5 toxicities. The results of the present study indicate that pretreatment SUVmax is a prognostic indicator for outcomes in patients with stage I NSCLC treated with C-ion RT.
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