Background: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the primary tumor on pretreatment (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ((18)F-FDG PET) has prognostic significance in patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the head and neck.
Methods: A retrospective review was carried out on 34 patients with ACC of the head and neck who underwent pretreatment (18)F-FDG PET imaging from June 2005 through July 2009. All patients underwent surgery with curative intent, and 26 of them received adjuvant radiotherapy (RT).
Results: When subjects were stratified into 2 groups according to a cutoff value for SUVmax of 4.15, the risk of distant metastasis was significantly high in patients with high SUVmax (p = .014). Multivariate analysis showed that high SUVmax and histologic grade 3 were independent poor prognostic factors for distant metastasis-free and disease-free survival.
Conclusion: Pretreatment SUVmax of the primary tumor is an independent prognostic factor in patients with ACC of the head and neck.
Keywords: 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET); adenoid cystic carcinoma; head and neck cancer; prognosis; standardized uptake value.
© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.