SUVmax on FDG-PET is a predictor of prognosis in patients with maxillary sinus cancer.

Abstract

Our aim was to determine whether the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the primary lesion demonstrated by [(18)F]-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) is associated with the prognosis of maxillary sinus cancer. The relationships of clinicopathological factors including age, T stage, N stage, histologic type, treatment strategy, and primary tumor SUVmax with progression-free (PFS) and overall (OS) survival were evaluated using the log-rank test and Cox method in 31 patients with maxillary sinus cancer before combined superselective intra-arterial chemotherapy using high-dose cisplatin with concurrent radiotherapy, or radiotherapy alone. The median duration of follow-up was 55.4(range 9.7-72.6)months. PFS and OS of patients exhibiting a high SUVmax (≥16 and≥17, respectively) for the primary tumor were significantly lower than those of patients for whom the primary tumor SUVmax was low (p=0.0010 and p=0.033, respectively). Multivariate analyses showed that T stage (p=0.0049) and primary tumor SUVmax (p=0.026) were independently prognostic of poorer PFS and that only primary tumor SUVmax (p=0.049) was independently prognostic of poorer OS. SUVmax of the primary tumor determined by FDG-PET/CT before treatment could be a good surrogate marker for prognostication of maxillary sinus cancer.