Preoperative PETCT 18F-FDG Standardized Uptake by Lymph Nodes as a Significant Prognostic Factor in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Abstract EN

Purpose.

We evaluated the prognostic value of preoperative 18F-FDG uptake by suspected lymph nodes (LNs) using 18F-FDG PET/CT in colorectal cancer patients.

Methods.

Patients with CRC underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT before radical surgery.

We used Cox proportional hazards regression to examine the relationship between recurrence and the 18F-FDG maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in the suspected LNs (SUVLN) on 18F-FDG PET/CT.

Results.

Clinical data, treatment modalities, and results from 90 CR C patients were reviewed.

The median follow-up was 19 months (range 3 to 72 months).

Receiver operating characteristic analysis identified SUVLN 1.15 was the optimal cut-off value for predicting recurrence.

SUVLN correlated with tumour size (P=0.045), lymph node metastasis (P=0.03), and recurrence (P<0.0001).

Univariate analysis showed significant associations between recurrence and SUVLN (P=0.017), and tumour grade (P=0.013).

Multivariate analysis identified SUVLN (P<0.0001), and tumour grade (P=0.005) as independent risk factors for recurrence.

Patients with SUVLN ≤ 1.15 and SUVLN > 0.15 differed significantly in terms of recurrence (P<0.0001).

Conclusion.

Preoperative SUVLN measured by 18F-FDG PET/CT was significantly associated with recurrence and had significant prognostic value for recurrence-free survival in patients with colorectal cancer.