Journal of International Oncology ›› 2025, Vol. 52 ›› Issue (10): 614-620.doi: 10.3760/cma.j.cn371439-20241115-00105

• Original Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters in small cell lung cancer

Lai Ruihe1, Sheng Dandan2, He Jian1, Ding Chongyang3, Geng Yuzhi2()   

  1. 1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing 210008, China
    2Department of Nuclear Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210011, China
    3Department of Nuclear Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
  • Received:2024-11-15 Revised:2025-09-01 Online:2025-10-08 Published:2025-11-12
  • Contact: Geng Yuzhi E-mail:gengyuzhi@126.com

Abstract:

Objective To evaluate the prognostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT metabolic parameters in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical and imaging data of 156 SCLC patients, who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging and were diagnosed by histopathological examination at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School from September 2013 to February 2024. The metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG), linear regression slope, area under the curve of cumulative standard uptake value (SUV) volume histogram (AUC-CSH), and coefficient of variation (CV) were calculated using LIFEx software with different SUV thresholds. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards model. Patient stratification was based on the critical values determined by receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The survival curve was plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test was performed. Results Univariate analysis showed that MTV40%HR=2.91, 95%CI: 1.55-5.47, P=0.001), MTV60%HR=2.31, 95%CI: 1.29-4.17, P=0.005), TLG40%HR=2.07, 95%CI: 1.19-3.60, P=0.010), linear regression slope (HR=0.45, 95%CI: 0.26-0.79, P=0.005), and CV40% HR=0.27, 95%CI: 0.08-0.84, P=0.024) were factors affecting progression-free survival (PFS) in SCLC patients. MTV40%HR=1.98,95%CI: 1.22-3.22, P=0.005), MTV60%HR=1.80, 95%CI: 1.12-2.88, P=0.015), MTV80%HR=1.71, 95%CI: 1.08-2.74, P=0.024), TLG40%HR=3.68, 95%CI: 1.59-8.49, P=0.002), linear regression slope (HR=0.49, 95%CI: 0.30-0.80, P=0.004), and AUC-CSH80%HR=0.44, 95%CI: 0.23-0.84, P=0.013) were found to be factors affecting overall survival (OS) in SCLC patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that MTV40%HR=4.76, 95%CI: 1.11-20.50, P=0.036) was an independent factor influencing PFS, and TLG40%HR=3.19, 95%CI: 1.02-9.92, P=0.046) was an independent factor influencing OS in SCLC patients. ROC curve analysis identified the optimal cutoff value for MTV40% in predicting PFS as 5.5cm3 and the optimal cutoff value for TLG40% in predicting OS as 41.5 g in SCLC patients. Survival analysis showed that patients with MTV40%≤5.5 cm3n=33) had a median PFS that was not reached, while patients with MTV40%>5.5 cm3 n=123) had a median PFS of 10.3 months, with a statistically significant difference (χ²=12.09, P=0.001). For patients with TLG40%≤41.5 g (n=35), the median OS was not reached, whereas for TLG40%>41.5 g (n=121), the median OS was 31.6 months, with a statistically significant difference (χ²=10.55, P=0.001). Conclusions The 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameter MTV40% is an independent factor influencing PFS, while TLG40% is an independent factor influencing OS in SCLC patients. The above two parameters may serve as indicators for assessing the prognosis of SCLC patients.

Key words: Small cell lung carcinoma, Fluorodeoxyglucose F18, Positron-emission tomography, Tomography, X-ray computed, Prognosis, Metabolic parameters