Abstract:
Objective To investigate the prognostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT metabolic parameters in patients with stage Ⅳ endometrial carcinoma.
Methods The clinical data of 40 patients with stage Ⅳ endometrial carcinoma who were diagnosed in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School from December 2013 to March 2023, with a median age of 58, ranged from 36 to 80 years old, were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT examination, and LIFEx7.2.0 software was used to automatically map the region of interst (ROI) and measure the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of all metastatic lesions in each patient. The optimal cut-off values of PET parameters were obtained using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The patients were divided into the high-risk and low-risk groups in accordance with the optimal cut-off values. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard model was conducted to assess the prognostic value of clinical features and PET metabolic parameters for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The Log-rank test was used to compare the differences in OS and PFS between the high-risk group and low-risk group.
Results ROC curves analysis revealed that the optimal cut-off values for SUVmax, TMTV, and TLG in predicting PFS in patients with stage Ⅳ endometrial carcinoma were 13.65, 51.50 cm3, and 319.50 g, respectively. The differences in PFS between the high-risk and low-risk group based on SUVmax, MTV, and TLG were statistically significant (χ2=5.64, 9.75, 9.75; all P<0.05). The optimal cut-off values for SUVmax, TMTV, and TLG in predicting OS were 10.85, 71.00 cm3, and 431.50 g, respectively. The differences in OS between the high-risk group and low-risk group based on TMTV and TLG were statistically significant (χ2=8.72, 7.89; both P<0.01). Univariate Cox proportional hazard model analysis showed that SUVmax, TMTV, and TLG were the independent prognostic factors for PFS in patients with stage Ⅳ endometrial carcinoma, whereas TMTV and TLG were the independent prognostic factors for OS. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard model analysis indicated that TMTV>51.50 cm3 was an independent prognostic factor for PFS, and TMTV>71.00 cm3 and TLG>431.50 g were the prognostic factor for OS.
Conclusion The 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameter TMTV is the best prognostic factor for PFS in patients with stage Ⅳ endometrial carcinoma.