Prognostic Value of Semi-Quantitative 18F-FDG PET/CT Parameters in Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Abstract

Objective: To assess the prognostic value of maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) determined by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) imaging in Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients. Methods: A total of 148 Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients diagnosed with lymph node biopsy from October 2014 to October 2015 were retrospectively analyzed followed by categorizing into good (125 cases) and poor (23 cases) prognosis groups. The chi-squared test was used to analyze the clinicopathological characteristics of Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients with the semi-quantitative 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters; the Spearman method was used to analyze the correlation between the semi-quantitative parameters and clinicopathological features of Hodgkin’s lymphoma; receiver operating characteristic curve was used to analyze the predictive value of the semi-quantitative parameters for poor prognosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients. Results: Mean SUVmax, MTV, and TLG of the 148 cases of Hodgkin’s lymphoma were 7.26 ± 2.38, 12.46 ± 3.14 cm3, and 76.83 ± 18.56 g, respectively. Significant variations in the Ann Arbor stage and clinical classification were observed with different levels of semi-quantitative parameters (P < 0.05). The semi-quantitative parameters were not correlated with age and gender (P > 0.05) but positively correlated with Ann Arbor stage and clinical classification (P < 0.05). These parameters in the poor prognosis group were higher than those in the good prognosis group (P < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of SUVmax, MTV, and TLG in predicting the poor prognosis group was 0.881, 0.875, and 0.838, with cut-off values of 7.264, 12.898 cm3, and 74.580g, as well as specificity of 88.8%, 84.0%, and 78.4%, and sensitivity of 87.0%, 87.0%, and 78.3%, respectively; the AUC of the combined prediction was 0.986, with a specificity of 97.6% and sensitivity of 86.3%. Conclusion: The semi-quantitative 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters provide valuable insights for Hodgkin’s lymphoma prognosis assessment.