Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the prognostic value of standard uptake value (SUV) from serial Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) in patients with head and neck cancer.
Methods
We searched for articles limited to head and neck cancer, dealt with the impact of SUV on survival and published in English. The endpoints were disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and local control (LC). Two reviewers extracted data independently.
Results
Thirty-five studies were identified; of which, 26 studies involving 1,415 patients met the inclusion criteria. Pooled survival data suggested better DFS, OS, and LC in patients with low SUV of pre-treatment, and the odds ratio (OR) was 0.23, 0.24, and 0.27, respectively. Patients having tumors with low SUV of post-treatment also had significantly better DFS (OR = 0.17) and OS (OR = 0.28) than those with high SUV.
Conclusions
The present meta-analysis showed that 18F-FDG uptake, as measured by the SUV before treatment and metabolic response after treatment, are valuable for predicting long-term survival in head and neck cancer. High 18F-FDG uptake may be useful for identifying patients requiring more aggressive treatment.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Dr. Huiqing Li for his assistance with this paper.
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Xie, P., Li, M., Zhao, H. et al. 18F-FDG PET or PET-CT to evaluate prognosis for head and neck cancer: a meta-analysis. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 137, 1085–1093 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-010-0972-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-010-0972-y