Value of 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging in predicting occult lymph node metastasis in patients with squamous cell lung carcinoma / 中国医学影像技术

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the predictability of occult lymph node metastasis (OLM) using metabolic parameters of pretreatment 18F-FDG PET-CT in squamous cell lung carcinoma patients manifesting clinical negative node (cN0).Methods A total of 91 cN0 squamous cell lung carcinoma patients who underwent curative surgery and pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT were enrolled retrospectively.Metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of primary tumor were obtained with standardized uptake value (SUV) threshold of 2.5.ROC curve analysis was performed to quantify the predictive value of SUVmax,MTV,TLG and the maximal tumor length.To identify risk factors for OLM,univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were performed.Results Of 91 patients,26 had OLM.Significantly higher SUV MTV,TLG and the maximal tumor length were observed in patients with OLM compared with negative occult lymph node metastasis (all P＜0.05).ROC curve showed that the cutoff point of SUVmax,MTV,TLG and the maximal tumor length were 12.76,31.17 cm3,153.13 and 3.8 cm,respectively.Univariate analysis showed correlation of tumor location (central),the maximal tumor length,SUVmax,MTV and TLG with the rate of OLM (all P＜0.05).In multivariate analysis,tumor location (central),the maximal tumor length ＞3.8 cm and MTV ＞31.17 cm3 showed association with increased risk of OLM (all P＜0.05).Conclusion MTV in 18F-FDG PET/CT is an independent factor for predicting OLM in patients with cN0 squamous cell lung carcinoma,which can be used to guide surgical planning.