Primary tumor maximum standardized uptake value measured on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography is a prognostic value for survival in bile duct and gallbladder cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Few studies have assessed the prognostic value of the primary tumor maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max) measured by 2-[(18)F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose PET-CT for patients with bile duct and gallbladder cancer.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 61 patients with confirmed bile duct and gallbladder cancer who underwent FDG PET-CT in Kangbuk Samsung Medical Center (Seoul, Korea) from April 2008 to April 2011. Prognostic significance of SUV max and other clinicopathological variables was assessed.

RESULTS: Twenty-three patients were diagnosed as common bile duct cancer, 17 as hilar bile duct cancer, 12 as intrahepatic bile duct cancer, and nine as gallbladder cancer. In univariate analysis, diagnosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer, mass forming type, poorly differentiated cell type, nonsurgical treatment, advanced American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging and primary tumor SUV max were significant predictors of poor overall survival. In multivariate analysis adjusted for age and sex, primary tumor SUV max (hazard ratio [HR], 4.526; 95% CI, 1.813-11.299), advanced AJCC staging (HR, 4.843; 95% CI, 1.760-13.328), and nonsurgical treatment (HR, 6.029; 95% CI, 1.989-18.271) were independently associated with poor overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS: Primary tumor SUV max measured by FDG PET-CT is an independent and significant prognostic factor for overall survival in bile duct and gallbladder cancer.