Abstract
In order to investigate whether the SUVmax-liver-based interpretation could improve prognostic accuracy of interim (PET-4) and posttreatment PET/CT (PET-end), 115 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL were recruited in the study. ROC analysis revealed the optimal threshold is 1.6-fold of SUVmax-liver for PET-4 and 1.4-fold of SUVmax-liver for PET-end. The SUVmax-liver-based interpretation had a perfect interobserver agreement, higher prognostic accuracy and positive predictive value than 5-point scale and %ΔSUVmax criteria in both PET-4 and PET-end. Dramatic differences in the outcome between patients with positive and negative PET-4/PET-end were demonstrated using Kaplan–Meier survival curves (p < .05). Univariate and multifactor analysis found PET-4 and PET-end were independent prognostic factors for the outcome of DLBCL. In conclusion, the SUVmax-liver-based interpretation were superior to 5-point scale and %ΔSUVmax criteria in analyzing the PET-4 and PET-end for the prognosis of DLBCL patients.
Acknowledgments
The study was supported by a grant from Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission [2017-026] and Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospitals Incubating Program [PX2017028]. This retrospective study was performed and approved by an Investigational Review Board of the Peking University Cancer Hospital, and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Potential conflict of interest
Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10428194.2017.1357171.