CORRELATION BETWEEN PET-CT UPTAKE VALUES AND PATHOLOGICALY FEATURES IN
HEAD AND NECK CANCER
Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate the correlation between SUV-Max values
and pathological outcomes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
(HNSCC) and determine the predictive power of SUV-Max for disease
prognosis. Data Sources: Retrospective analysis of medical
records and PET-CT imaging results from patients diagnosed with HNSCC at
our institution between 2014 and 2023. Review Methods:
Examination of SUV-Max values from F18-FDG PET-CT scans and their
association with pathological findings such as perineural invasion,
lymphovascular invasion, and neck lymph node metastasis. Statistical
analysis was conducted to establish cutoff values and assess the
significance of correlations. Results: Our study identified
significant cutoff values for PET-CT SUV-Max that correlate with the
pathological features of head and neck cancer. For primary tumors, a
SUV-Max cutoff of 14.71 predicted neck metastasis with a sensitivity of
67.6% and specificity of 64.2%, demonstrating moderate diagnostic
accuracy with an AUC of 0.648. Perineural invasion was optimally
predicted at a cutoff of 13.28, with a sensitivity of 74%, specificity
of 67.3%, and an AUC of 0.728. Similarly, a cutoff of 13.28 for
lymphovascular invasion yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 63%,
with an AUC of 0.628. Additionally, neck lymph node metastasis was
effectively assessed with a SUV-Max cutoff of 2.74, achieving a
sensitivity of 62.2%, specificity of 67%, and an AUC of 0.694.
Conclusion: SUV-Max values from PET-CT scans are significant
predictors of pathological outcomes in HNSCC, aiding in the
stratification of patient prognosis and guiding clinical
decision-making.