Asociación entre el standarized uptake value (SUV) máximo y el control local en pacientes con carcinoma de orofaringe tratados con radioterapia

Objective

To analyse the prognostic ability of the maximum standardised uptake value (SUV_max) on local disease control in patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma treated with radiotherapy.

Material and methods

Retrospective study of 105 patients with oropharyngeal carcinomas treated with radiotherapy, including chemo- and bio-radiotherapy, and who had a PET-CT scan prior to the start of treatment.

Result

Patients with a SUV_max value higher than 17.2 at the primary tumour site had a significantly higher risk of local recurrence. The 5-year local recurrence-free survival for patients with SUV_max less than or equal to 17.2 (n = 71) was 86.5% (95% CI: 78.2–94.7%), and for patients with SUV_max greater than 17.2 (n = 34) it was 55.8% (95% CI: 36.0–75.6%) (P=.0001). This difference in local control was maintained regardless of patients’ HPV status. Specific survival was similarly lower for patients with a SUV greater than 17.2. The 5-year specific survival for patients with SUV_max greater than 17.2 was 39.5% (95% CI: 20.6–58.3%), significantly shorter than that of patients with SUV_max equal to or less than 17.2, which was 77.3% (95% CI: 66.9–87.6%) (P=.0001).

Conclusions

Patients with oropharyngeal carcinomas treated with radiotherapy with a SUV_max greater than 17.2 at the level of the primary tumour site had a significantly higher risk of local recurrence.