ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) has been used to assess the biological behavior of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we investigated the usefulness of 18F-FDG PET for predicting tumor progression and survival in patients with intermediate Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) intermediate-stage HCC treated by transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). METHODS: From February 2006 to March 2013, 210 patients treated with TACE, including 77 patients with BCLC intermediate-stage HCC, underwent examination by 18F-FDG PET. 18F-FDG uptake was calculated based on the tumor maximum (Tmax) standardized uptake value (SUV), the liver mean (Lmean) SUV, and the ratio of the Tmax SUV to the Lmean SUV (Tmax/Lmean). RESULTS: The mean follow-up period for the 77 patients (52 males, 25 females; average age, 63.3 years) was 22.2 months. The median time to progression of HCC in patients with a low Tmax/Lmean ( or = 1.83) was 17 and 6 months, respectively (p < 0.001). The median overall survival time of patients with a low and high Tmax/Lmean was 44 and 14 months, respectively (p = 0.003). Multivariate analysis revealed that the Tmax/Lmean was an independent predictor of overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.210 to 3.156; p = 0.006) and tumor progression (HR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.264 to 3.308; p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: 18F-FDG uptake calculated by the Tmax/Lmean using PET predicted tumor progression and survival in patients with BCLC intermediate-stage HCC treated by TACE.
Subject(s)
Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/mortality , Chemoembolization, Therapeutic/adverse effects , Disease Progression , Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 , Kaplan-Meier Estimate , Liver Neoplasms/mortality , Multimodal Imaging , Neoplasm Staging , Positron-Emission Tomography , Predictive Value of Tests , Proportional Hazards Models , Radiopharmaceuticals , Retrospective Studies , Risk Factors , Time Factors , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been accepted as a standard treatment of early gastric cancer (EGC). However, the indication of ESD in undifferentiated-type EGC was controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic outcomes of ESD in undifferentiated-type EGC according to expanded indication. METHODS: At Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, a total of 82 lesions in 81 patients with undifferentiated-type EGC were treated with ESD. The therapeutic outcomes of ESD were evaluated by resection method (en bloc resection; piecemeal resection), histologic curative resection, complications and recurrence rates after ESD. RESULTS: The rate on en bloc resection and complete resection rate were 87.8% (72/82) and 80.5% (66/82), respectively. In signet ring cell carcinoma, the complete resection rate was higher than those in poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with signet ring cell features, but there was no statistical significance (89.3% vs. 75.0%, 76.7%; p=0.347). The lateral margin positivity rate in poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, signet ring cell carcinoma and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with signet ring cell features were 12.5%, 3.6% and 13.3%, respectively (p=0.395). The vertical margin positivity rate were 12.5%, 3.6% and 10.0%, respectively (p=0.485). The overall recurrence rate was 3.0% during a mean follow-up period of 37.4 months. CONCLUSIONS: ESD may be considered as a feasible treatment for undifferentiated-type EGC according to expanded indication. The therapeutic outcome of ESD in undifferentiated-type EGC is likely to be favorable, though further longer follow-up studies are needed.