The Clinical Value Of Changes Of SUVmax In Series 18F-FDG PET/CT Imaging Before And After Chemotherapy For Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of changes of maximum standardized uptake value(SUVmax) in series 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging before and after chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer.Methods: From July 2008 to July 2014, 18 patients with pathological confirmed advanced NSCLC who received systemic chemotherapy were enrolled. 18F-FDG PET/CT scans were performed before, 3-4 weeks after 2-4 cycles chemotherapy, 3-4 weeks after the end of chemotherapy for all patients, and added fourth scan for 3 patients 1 year later. The standardized uptake value(SUVmax) of region of interesting were calculated. The histological diagnosis or clinical findings in a 36 months follow-up period served as the standard of truth.Results: New metastases foci were found by 18F-FDG PET/CT scans before chemotherapy in 38.89%(7/18) patients. The plans of chemotherapy for 5 patients were changed as therapeutic responses were evaluated according to changes of SUVmax. Targeted therapy was added for 2 patients 1 year after the end of chemotherapy. There was a significant difference in outcome of survival analysis between patients performed PET/CT scans and non-performed(P<0.05).Conclusion: Changes of SUVmax in series 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging before and after chemotherapy could be used to evaluate therapeutic response and effectively predict survival in patients with advanced NSCLC.