Table 5.
Prognostic impact of FDG PET: descriptive analysis
| Reference | Timing of FDG PET | Main metabolic parameter | Significant threshold/cut-off value | Prognostic comparator | Median follow-up (months) | Primary outcome measure | Main message |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [18] | Pretreatment | MTV | 14 ml | ns | 18 | LRC, PFS | 3-year LRFS and DFS lower in patients with MTV ≥14 ml |
| [19] | Pretreatment Interim Posttreatment Analysis of change over time |
SUVmax | ns | ns | 29.2 | PFS, DSS | Metabolic response on posttreatment PET correlated with 2-year PFS and DSS |
| [20] | Pretreatment | MTV | ns | T stage, N stage, HPV status | 30.5 | LRC, OS | PET-based nomogram: MTV as a continuous variable correlated with 2-year OS |
| [21] | Pretreatment Interim Analysis of change over time |
SUVmax | ns | ns | 23 | DFS, OS | SUVmax reduction ratio <0.64 associated with inferior 2-year OS and DFS |
| [22] | Pretreatment | TLG | 121.9 g | Uniformity (texture), HPV status | 27 | PFS, DSS, OS | TLG >121.9 g and uniformity ≤0.138 associated with inferior PFS, DSS and OS |
| [23] | Pretreatment | MTV | 40 ml | ns | ns | DFS | Worse short-term outcome and shorter DFS in patients with MTV >40 ml |
| [24] | Pretreatment | SUVmean | ns | ns | 15 | DFS | SUVmean >7 (median of cohort) correlated with inferior 2-year DFS |
| [25] | Pretreatment Posttreatment |
SUVmax | 5 | Haemoglobin level | 38.4 | LRC, OS | Posttreatment SUVmax <5 and pretreatment haemoglobin >12 g/dl correlated with superior LRC and OS |
| [26] | Pretreatment Posttreatment |
SUVmax | 4.4 | ns | 52.7 | PFS, OS | Posttreatment SUVmax <4.4 correlated with superior 3-year PFS and OS |
| [27] | Pretreatment | MTV, uptake pattern | 20 ml | ns | 36.4 | DFS, DSS | MTV >20 ml and qualitative uptake pattern (ring-shape) correlated with inferior DFS and DSS |
| [28] | Pretreatment Interim Analysis of change over time |
TLG, MTV | 2.95 g/ml | ns | 28 | LRC, DFS, OS | Index node SUVmean on interim PET <2.95 g/ml and TLG, MTV reduction >50% on interim PET correlated with superior LRC, DFS and OS |
| [29] | Pretreatment Posttreatment Analysis of change over time |
Hopkins five-point scale | ns | HPV status | 27 | PFS, OS | Hopkins five-point qualitative response interpretation and HPV status able to discriminate PFS and OS |
| [30] | Pretreatment Posttreatment Analysis of change over time |
SUVmax | ns | ns | ns | LRC | SUVmax reduction ratio <1.04 associated with inferior LRC |
| [31] | Pretreatment Interim Posttreatment Analysis of change over time |
Visual grading | ns | ns | 28 | LRC, DFS, OS | Visual grading response interpretation able to discriminate 2-year LRC, DFS and OS |
| [32] | Pretreatment, Interim | TLG | 9.4 g | ns | 25 | LRC, DFS, OS | TLG on interim PET <9.4 g correlated with superior 2-year LRC, DFS and OS |
| [34] | Pretreatment | MTV | 28.7 ml | T stage | ns | LRC, OS | MTV >28.7 ml correlated with inferior 3-year LRC and OS |
| [35] | Pretreatment Posttreatment |
MTV | ns | ns | 34 | DFS, OS | Increase in MTV2.0 (volume above SUV threshold of 2) of 21 ml associated with inferior DFS and OS |
| [36] | Pretreatment | SUVmax | 19.4 | kep-tumour, ve-node (MR parameters) | 28 | PFS, OS | kep-tumour, ve-node, SUVmax independently able to discriminate 3-year PFS and OS |
| [37] | Pretreatment | MTV | 18 ml | Primary tumour site | 40.4 | LRC, OS | MTV >18 ml correlated with inferior 3-year LRC and OS |
| [38] | Pretreatment | SUVmax | 13 | Gross tumour volume, cisplatin delivery, smoke | 32 | DFS, OS | SUVmax <13 (median of cohort) correlated with superior DFS and OS |
| [39] | Pretreatment | MTV | 9.7 ml | ns | 55.8 | LRC, PFS, OS | MTV <9.7 ml (median of cohort) correlated with superior 5-year LRC, PFS and OS |
| [40] | Pretreatment Posttreatment |
MTV | ns | ns | 50 | LRC, PFS | Pretreatment MTV above the median correlated with inferior LRC and PFS |
| [42] | Pretreatment Interim Analysis of change over time |
Hopkins five-point scale | ns | HPV status | 20.4 | PFS, OS | Hopkins five-point qualitative response interpretation and HPV status able to discriminate PFS and OS |
| [43] | Pretreatment | MTV | ns | ns | 32.5 | OS | MTV3.0 (volume above a SUV threshold of 3) >23.01 ml associated with inferior OS |
| [44] | Pretreatment Interim |
SUVmean (in MST) | ns | ns | 29.3 | LRC, OS | SUVmean of MST on interim PET >2.3 g/ml (median of cohort) correlated with superior LRC and OS |
ns not stated, MST mucosa and submucosa soft tissues, kep efflux rate constant of primary tumour on dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging, ve relative volume of extracellular extravascular space of largest metastatic lymph node on diffusion-weighted MR imaging, LRC locoregional control, PFS progression-free survival, DSS disease-specific survival, OS overall survival, DFS disease-free survival