PET/MRI for staging patients with Hodgkin lymphoma: equivalent results with PET/CT in a prospective trial

AbstractTo compare FDG-PET/unenhanced MRI and FDG-PET/diagnostic CT in detecting infiltration in patients with newly diagnosed Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). The endpoint was equivalence between PET/MRI and PET/CT in correctly defining the revised Ann Arbor staging system. Seventy consecutive patients with classical-HL were prospectively investigated for nodal and extra-nodal involvement during pretreatment staging with same-day PET/CT and PET/MRI. Findings indicative of malignancy with the imaging procedures were regarded as lymphoma infiltration; in case of discrepancy, positive-biopsy and/or response to treatment were evidenced as lymphoma. Sixty of the 70 (86%) patients were evaluable having completed the staging program. Disease staging based on either PET/MRI or PET/CT was correct for 54 of the 60 patients (90% vs. 90%), with difference between proportions of 0.0 (95% CI, −9 to 9%; P=0.034 for the equivalence test). As compared with reference standard, invasion of lymph nodes was identified with PET/MRI in 100% and with PET/CT in 100%, of the spleen with PET/MRI in 66% and PET/CT in 55%, of the lung with PET/MRI in 60% and PET/CT in 100%, of the liver with PET/MRI in 67% and PET/CT in 100%, and of the bone with PET/MRI in 100% and PET/CT in 50%. The only statistically significant difference between PET/MRI and PET/CT was observed in bony infiltration detection rates. For PET/CT, iodinate contrast medium infusions’ average was 86 mL, and exposure to ionizing radiation was estimated to be 4-fold higher than PET/MRI. PET/MRI is a promising safe new alternative in the care of patients with HL.

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FDG-PET/CT for the Management of Post-Chemotherapy Residual Mass in Hodgkin lymphoma

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13163952 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (16) ◽

pp. 3952

Author(s):

Andrea Gallamini ◽

Michał Kurlapski ◽

Jan Maciej Zaucha

Keyword(s):

Treatment Outcome ◽

Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Fdg Pet ◽

Quantitative Methods ◽

Present Review ◽

Response To Treatment ◽

Published Evidence ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Fdg Pet Ct

In the present review, the authors report the published evidence on the use of functional imaging with FDG-PET/CT in assessing the final response to treatment in Hodgkin lymphoma. Despite a very high overall Negative Predictive Value of post-chemotherapy PET on treatment outcome ranging from 94% to 86%, according to different treatment intensity, the Positive Predicting Value proved much lower (40–25%). In the present review the Authors discuss the role of PET to guide consolidation RT over a RM after different chemotherapy regimens, both in early and in advanced-stage disease. A particular emphasis is dedicated to the peculiar issue of the qualitative versus semi-quantitative methods for End-of Therapy PET scan interpretation. A short hint will be given on the role of FDG-PET to assess the treatment outcome after immune checkpoint inhibitors.

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Different Histopathological Subtypes of Hodgkin Lymphoma Have Significantly Different Levels of FDG Uptake.

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v106.11.969.969 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 106 (11) ◽

pp. 969-969

Author(s):

Martin Hutchings ◽

Annika L. Jakobsen ◽

Mads T. Hansen ◽

Elisabeth Ralfkiaer ◽

Lena Specht

Keyword(s):

Lymph Node ◽

Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Fdg Pet ◽

Lymph Node Biopsy ◽

T Test ◽

The Body ◽

Fdg Uptake ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Fdg Pet Ct

Abstract Background: Functional imaging with positron emission tomography using 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG-PET) is an important tool in the staging of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). FDG-PET enables quantitative information about the tumour metabolism, most commonly measured as the semiquantitative standardised uptake value (SUV). The aim of this study was to investigate if the level of FDG uptake varies between the different subtypes of HL. Methods: Sixty consecutive patients with newly diagnosed HL were prospectively included in the protocol. At least one lymph node biopsy was obtained from each patient and all patients underwent an FDG-PET/CT scan along with other staging procedures. The highest SUV in each patient (SUVmax/total) and in each affected region or organ (SUVmax) was recorded. Differences in SUVmax between histopathological subgroups were analysed with independent-samples student’s t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: 38 patients had nodular sclerosis (NS), 11 patients had mixed cellularity (MC), seven patients had nodular lymphocyte predominance (NLP) and four patients had classical HL, not otherwise specified (CHL-NOS). Mean SUVmax/total was 9.3 g/ml in NLP patients, 16.3 g/ml in NS patients, 20.8 g/ml in MC patients, and 19.5 g/ml in CHL-NOS patients (Figure 1). The difference between the histopathological subgroups was highly significant (ANOVA, p = 0.011). Out of 780 potential sites of disease (600 lymph node regions plus 180 organs), 208 sites were affected with HL. Mean SUVmax was 8.3 g/ml in the 12 sites affected with NLP, 11.2 g/ml in the 147 sites affected with NS, 14.6 g/ml in the 36 sites affected with MC, and 13.1 g/ml in the 13 sites affected with CHL-NOS (ANOVA, p = 0.011, Figure 2). Mean SUVmax in sites with NS was significantly higher than in sites with NLP (t-test, p = 0.042) and significantly lower than in sites with MC (t-test, p = 0.011). Conclusion: There is a significant difference in FDG/glucose uptake between the different histopathological subtypes of HL. The SUVs in NLP, NS and MC lymphomas are significantly different, while the uptake in CHL-NOS lymphomas resembles the uptake in MC lymphomas. SUV analysis is frequently used in situations where the qualitative evalutation of a site on FDG-PET is uncertain. In those situations, it is helpful to know that the level of uptake varies from subtype to subtype. Since the subtypes have different FDG metabolism, they should ideally be regarded separately in future studies of FDG-PET and FDG-PET/CT in HL. 1. Highest SUV anywhere in the body of each patient 1. Highest SUV anywhere in the body of each patient

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Serum thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) levels in newly diagnosed patients with Hodgkin lymphoma: a new promising and predictive tool? Preliminary report

Journal of Hematopathology ◽

10.1007/s12308-021-00470-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anna Kopińska ◽

Anna Koclęga ◽

Tomasz Francuz ◽

Grzegorz Helbig

Keyword(s):

Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Response Assessment ◽

Early Response ◽

Response To Treatment ◽

Newly Diagnosed ◽

Predictive Tool ◽

Lactate Dehydrogenase Activity ◽

Baseline Serum ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Significant Difference

AbstractThymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) is expressed on Reed-Sternberg cells of patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and may serve as a marker in response assessment. In our study, we correlated serum TARC levels with early response to treatment measured by PET/CT in 19 newly diagnosed patients with HL who received ABVD (Adriblastin, Bleomycin, Vinblastine, Dacarbazine) regimen. Finally, 17 patients were analyzed and six of them (35%) achieved PET/CT negativity defined as Deauville (D) 1 or 2 after 2 cycles of ABVD; 11 pts (65%) had D3 on PET/CT. None of the patients presented D 4/5. Median serum TARC levels at diagnosis were significantly higher when compared with healthy controls: 5718 pg/ml vs 76.1 pg/ml (p < 0.001). All study patients were treated with ABVD regimen and there was a significant decrease of baseline serum TARC levels after 2 cycles of therapy. No significant difference of baseline serum TARC levels was demonstrated between patients with D1/2 and D3 whereas levels were significantly decreased after 2 cycles of ABVD in patients D1/2 vs D3; p = 0.049. There was a tendency to higher baseline serum TARC levels in patients with an increased LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) activity (p = 0.08) and in those who progressed when compared with those who maintained response (p = 0.09). Serum TARC levels decrease after chemotherapy and may serve as a marker of response assessment.

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FDG PET/CT parameters and correlations with tumor-absorbed doses in a phase 1 trial of 177Lu-lilotomab satetraxetan for treatment of relapsed non-Hodgkin lymphoma

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging ◽

10.1007/s00259-020-05098-x ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ayca Løndalen ◽

Johan Blakkisrud ◽

Mona-Elisabeth Revheim ◽

Ulf Erik Madsbu ◽

Jostein Dahle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Fdg Pet ◽

Phase 1 ◽

Combination Regimen ◽

Non Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Absorbed Doses ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Lesion Level ◽

Fdg Pet Ct

Abstract Purpose 177Lu-lilotomab satetraxetan targets the CD37 antigen and has been investigated in a first-in-human phase 1/2a study for relapsed non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Tumor dosimetry and response evaluation can be challenging after radioimmunotherapy (RIT). Changes in FDG PET/CT parameters after RIT and correlations with tumor-absorbed doses has not been examined previously in patients with lymphoma. Treatment-induced changes were measured at FDG PET/CT and ceCT to evaluate response at the lesion level after treatment, and correlations with tumor-absorbed doses were investigated. Methods Forty-five tumors in 16 patients, with different pre-treatment and pre-dosing regimens, were included. Dosimetry was performed based on multiple SPECT/CT images. FDG PET/CT was performed at baseline and at 3 and 6 months. SUVmax, MTV, TLG, and changes in these parameters were calculated for each tumor. Lesion response was evaluated at 3 and 6 months (PET3months and PET6months) based on Deauville criteria. Anatomical changes based on ceCT at baseline and at 6 and 12 months were investigated by the sum of perpendiculars (SPD). Results Tumor-absorbed doses ranged from 35 to 859 cGy. Intra- and interpatient variations were observed. Mean decreases in PET parameters from baseline to 3 months were ΔSUVmax-3months 61%, ΔMTV3months 80%, and ΔTLG3months 77%. There was no overall correlation between tumor-absorbed dose and change in FDG PET or ceCT parameters at the lesion level or significant difference in tumor-absorbed doses between metabolic responders and non-responders after treatment. Conclusion Our analysis does not show any correlation between tumor-absorbed doses and changes in FDG PET or ceCT parameters for the included lesions. The combination regimen, including cold antibodies, may be one of the factors precluding such a correlation. Increased intra-patient response with increased tumor-absorbed doses was observed for most patients, implying individual variations in radiation sensitivity or biology. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT01796171). Registered December 2012

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Whole-body [18F]-FDG-PET/MRI for staging of pediatric non-Hodgkin lymphoma: first results from a single-center evaluation

EJNMMI Research ◽

10.1186/s13550-021-00804-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

L. Kurch ◽

R. Kluge ◽

O. Sabri ◽

L. Fischer ◽

S. Wendt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Fdg Pet ◽

Staging System ◽

Whole Body ◽

Pediatric Radiologist ◽

Whole Body Imaging ◽

Mri Findings ◽

Non Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Waldeyer’S Ring ◽

Medicine Physician

Abstract Aim In 2015, the revised International Pediatric Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Staging System was published. It mentions [18F]-FDG-PET/MRI as the latest method to perform whole-body imaging. However, supporting data are pending. Our aim was to investigate the performance of whole-body [18F]-FDG-PET/MRI in pediatric non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients by using a limited number of MRI sequences. Materials and methods Ten pediatric patients with histologically proven non-Hodgkin lymphoma underwent whole-body [18F]-FDG-PET/MRI at staging. The retrospective analysis included three steps: First, [18F]-FDG-PET and MR scans were evaluated separately by a nuclear medicine physician and a pediatric radiologist. Nineteen nodal and two extranodal regions as well as six organs were checked for involvement. Second, discrepant findings were reviewed together in order to reach consensus. Third, [18F]-FDG-PET/MRI findings were correlated with the results of other clinical investigations. Results Of the 190 lymph node regions evaluated, four were rated controversial. Consensus was reached by considering metabolic, functional and morphologic information combined. Concordantly, [18F]-FDG-PET and MRI detected Waldeyer’s ring involvement in two patients whose Waldeyer’s ring was negative on clinical assessment. In four patients MRI showed pleural effusion. However, in only two of them an increased glucose metabolism as a reliable sign of pleural involvement was detectable. In six patients [18F]-FDG-PET and MRI detected skeletal lesions although bone marrow biopsy was positive in only one of them. Conclusion Despite the small number of cases evaluated, whole-body [18F]-FDG-PET turned out to be a valuable tool for staging of pediatric non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

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Role of 18F-PET-CT to predict pathological response after neoadjuvant treatment of rectal cancer

Discover Oncology ◽

10.1007/s12672-021-00405-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Riccardo Caruso ◽

Emilio Vicente ◽

Yolanda Quijano ◽

Hipolito Duran ◽

Isabel Fabra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rectal Cancer ◽

Fdg Pet ◽

Locally Advanced ◽

Neoadjuvant Treatment ◽

Standardized Uptake Value ◽

Tumour Regression Grade ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Significant Difference ◽

18F Fdg ◽

Fdg Pet Ct

Abstract Objectives Neoadjuvant chemoradiation (nCRT) is universally considered to be a valid treatment to achieve downstaging, to improve local disease control and to obtain better resectability in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). The aim of this study is to correlate the change in the tumour 18F-FDG PET-CT standardized uptake value (SUV) before and after nCRT, in order to obtain an early prediction of the pathologic response (pR) achieved in patients with LARC. Data description We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with LARC diagnosis who underwent curative resection. All patients underwent a baseline 18F-FDG PET-CT scan within the week prior to the initiation of the treatment (PET-CT SUV1) and a second scan (PET-CT SUV2) within 6 weeks of the completion of nCRT. We evaluated the prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET-CT in terms of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with LARC.A total of 133 patients with LARC were included in the study. Patients were divided in two groups according to the TRG (tumour regression grade): 107 (80%) as the responders group (TRG0-TRG1) and 26 (25%) as the no-responders group (TRG2-TRG3). We obtained a significant difference in Δ%SUV between the two different groups; responders versus no-responders (p < 0.012). The results of this analysis show that 18F-FDG PET-CT may be an indicator to evaluate the pR to nCRT in patients with LARC. The decrease in 18F-FDG PET-CT uptake in the primary tumour may offer important information in order for an early identification of those patients more likely to obtain a pCR to nCRT and to predict those who are unlikely to significantly regress.

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Clinical and FDG-PET/CT Suspicion of Malignant Disease: Is Biopsy Confirmation Still Necessary?

Diagnostics ◽

10.3390/diagnostics11030559 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 559

Author(s):

Talitha Bent ◽

Derya Yakar ◽

Thomas C. Kwee

Keyword(s):

Fdg Pet ◽

Malignant Disease ◽

Invasive Procedure ◽

Clinical Suspicion ◽

Tissue Sampling ◽

Positron Emission ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Biopsy Confirmation ◽

Fdg Pet Ct

Background: Biopsy of 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG)-avid lesions suspected for malignancy remains an invasive procedure associated with a variety of risks. It is still unclear if the positive predictive value (PPV) of positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) is sufficiently high to avoid tissue sampling. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the PPV of 18F-FDG-PET/CT for malignancy in patients with a clinical suspicion of active malignant disease. Methods: This single-center retrospective study included 83 patients who had undergone FDG-PET/CT within 60 days before CT- or ultrasonography-guided tissue sampling and whose request form for CT- or US-guided tissue sampling requested mutation analyses. The latter implies a high clinical suspicion of active malignant disease. The nature of each biopsied lesion was determined based on the results of the pathological analysis and/or clinical and imaging follow-up of at least 12 months. Results: In total, eighty-eight FDG-avid lesions were biopsied. The PPV of FDG-PET/CT for malignancy was 98.9% (95% CI: 93.8–99.8%). For patients with an oncological history, the PPV was 98.7% (95% CI: 92.9–99.8%), and for patients with no oncological history, the PPV was 100% (95% CI: 74.1–100.0%). There was no significant difference between the PPV of the group with and without an oncological history (p = 0.71). In two cases, an unsuspected malignancy was diagnosed. Conclusion: Although the PPV of FDG-PET/CT for malignancy in patients with a clinical suspicion of active malignant disease is high, biopsy remains recommended to avoid inappropriate patient management due the non-negligible chance of dealing with FDG-avid benign disease or unexpected malignancies.

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FDG PET/CT to detect bone marrow involvement in the initial staging of patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma: results from the prospective, multicenter PETAL and OPTIMAL>60 trials

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging ◽

10.1007/s00259-021-05348-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Dominic Kaddu-Mulindwa ◽

Bettina Altmann ◽

Gerhard Held ◽

Stephanie Angel ◽

Stephan Stilgenbauer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Marrow ◽

B Cell ◽

Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Fdg Pet ◽

Bone Marrow Involvement ◽

Non Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Fdg Pet Ct ◽

Initial Staging

Abstract Purpose Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) is the standard for staging aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Limited data from prospective studies is available to determine whether initial staging by FDG PET/CT provides treatment-relevant information of bone marrow (BM) involvement (BMI) and thus could spare BM biopsy (BMB). Methods Patients from PETAL (NCT00554164) and OPTIMAL>60 (NCT01478542) with aggressive B-cell NHL initially staged by FDG PET/CT and BMB were included in this pooled analysis. The reference standard to confirm BMI included a positive BMB and/or FDG PET/CT confirmed by targeted biopsy, complementary imaging (CT or magnetic resonance imaging), or concurrent disappearance of focal FDG-avid BM lesions with other lymphoma manifestations during immunochemotherapy. Results Among 930 patients, BMI was detected by BMB in 85 (prevalence 9%) and by FDG PET/CT in 185 (20%) cases, for a total of 221 cases (24%). All 185 PET-positive cases were true positive, and 709 of 745 PET-negative cases were true negative. For BMB and FDG PET/CT, sensitivity was 38% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 32–45%) and 84% (CI: 78–88%), specificity 100% (CI: 99–100%) and 100% (CI: 99–100%), positive predictive value 100% (CI: 96–100%) and 100% (CI: 98–100%), and negative predictive value 84% (CI: 81–86%) and 95% (CI: 93–97%), respectively. In all of the 36 PET-negative cases with confirmed BMI patients had other adverse factors according to IPI that precluded a change of standard treatment. Thus, the BMB would not have influenced the patient management. Conclusion In patients with aggressive B-cell NHL, routine BMB provides no critical staging information compared to FDG PET/CT and could therefore be omitted. Trial registration NCT00554164 and NCT01478542

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Automated quantification of baseline imaging PET metrics on FDG PET/CT images of pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma patients

EJNMMI Physics ◽

10.1186/s40658-020-00346-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Amy J. Weisman ◽

Jihyun Kim ◽

Inki Lee ◽

Kathleen M. McCarten ◽

Sandy Kessel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Pet Imaging ◽

Fdg Pet ◽

Relative Difference ◽

Ct Images ◽

Imaging Features ◽

Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Fdg Pet Ct

Abstract Purpose For pediatric lymphoma, quantitative FDG PET/CT imaging features such as metabolic tumor volume (MTV) are important for prognosis and risk stratification strategies. However, feature extraction is difficult and time-consuming in cases of high disease burden. The purpose of this study was to fully automate the measurement of PET imaging features in PET/CT images of pediatric lymphoma. Methods 18F-FDG PET/CT baseline images of 100 pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma patients were retrospectively analyzed. Two nuclear medicine physicians identified and segmented FDG avid disease using PET thresholding methods. Both PET and CT images were used as inputs to a three-dimensional patch-based, multi-resolution pathway convolutional neural network architecture, DeepMedic. The model was trained to replicate physician segmentations using an ensemble of three networks trained with 5-fold cross-validation. The maximum SUV (SUVmax), MTV, total lesion glycolysis (TLG), surface-area-to-volume ratio (SA/MTV), and a measure of disease spread (Dmaxpatient) were extracted from the model output. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and relative percent differences were calculated between automated and physician-extracted features. Results Median Dice similarity coefficient of patient contours between automated and physician contours was 0.86 (IQR 0.78–0.91). Automated SUVmax values matched exactly the physician determined values in 81/100 cases, with Pearson’s correlation coefficient (R) of 0.95. Automated MTV was strongly correlated with physician MTV (R = 0.88), though it was slightly underestimated with a median (IQR) relative difference of − 4.3% (− 10.0–5.7%). Agreement of TLG was excellent (R = 0.94), with median (IQR) relative difference of − 0.4% (− 5.2–7.0%). Median relative percent differences were 6.8% (R = 0.91; IQR 1.6–4.3%) for SA/MTV, and 4.5% (R = 0.51; IQR − 7.5–40.9%) for Dmaxpatient, which was the most difficult feature to quantify automatically. Conclusions An automated method using an ensemble of multi-resolution pathway 3D CNNs was able to quantify PET imaging features of lymphoma on baseline FDG PET/CT images with excellent agreement to reference physician PET segmentation. Automated methods with faster throughput for PET quantitation, such as MTV and TLG, show promise in more accessible clinical and research applications.

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18F-FDG PET/CT Parameters for Predicting Prognosis in Esophageal Cancer Patients Treated With Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy

Technology in Cancer Research & Treatment ◽

10.1177/15330338211024655 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 ◽

pp. 153303382110246

Author(s):

Seokmo Lee ◽

Yunseon Choi ◽

Geumju Park ◽

Sunmi Jo ◽

Sun Seong Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Esophageal Cancer ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Fdg Pet ◽

Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy ◽

Curative Intent ◽

Squamous Cell Esophageal Cancer ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Fdg Pet Ct

Background and Aims: This study evaluated the prognostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with integrated computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) performed before and after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in esophageal cancer. Methods: We analyzed the prognosis of 50 non-metastatic squamous cell esophageal cancer (T1-4N0-2) patients who underwent CCRT with curative intent at Inje University Busan Paik Hospital and Haeundae Paik Hospital from 2009 to 2019. Median total radiation dose was 54 Gy (range 34-66 Gy). Our aim was to investigate the relationship between PET/CT values and prognosis. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Results: The median follow-up period was 9.9 months (range 1.7-85.7). Median baseline maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) was 14.2 (range 3.2-27.7). After treatment, 29 patients (58%) showed disease progression. The 3-year PFS and overall survival (OS) were 24.2% and 54.5%, respectively. PFS was significantly lower ( P = 0.015) when SUVmax of initial PET/CT exceeded 10 (n = 22). However, OS did not reach a significant difference based on maximum SUV ( P = 0.282). Small metabolic tumor volume (≤14.1) was related with good PFS ( P = 0.002) and OS ( P = 0.001). Small total lesion of glycolysis (≤107.3) also had a significant good prognostic effect on PFS ( P = 0.009) and OS ( P = 0.025). In a subgroup analysis of 18 patients with follow-up PET/CT, the patients with SUV max ≤3.5 in follow-up PET/CT showed longer PFS ( P = 0.028) than those with a maximum SUV >3.5. Conclusion: Maximum SUV of PET/CT is useful in predicting prognosis of esophageal cancer patients treated with CCRT. Efforts to find more effective treatments for patients at high risk of progression are still warranted.

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