The role of 18F‐FDG PET/CT in retroperitoneal sarcomas—A multicenter retrospective study

• Published in: Journal of surgical oncology Vol. 123; no. 4; pp. 1081 - 1087
• Main Authors: Subramaniam, Suren, Callahan, Jason, Bressel, Mathias, Hofman, Michael S., Mitchell, Catherine, Hendry, Shona, Vissers, Frederique L., Van der Hiel, Bernies, Patel, Dakshesh, Van Houdt, Winan J., Tseng, William W., Gyorki, David E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.03.2021
• Subjects: Gastric cancer; PET scan; retroperitoneal; Sarcoma; soft tissue tumor; Tomography
• ISSN: 0022-4790; 1096-9098
• DOI: 10.1002/jso.26379

Background The role of 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F‐FDG PET/CT) in the evaluation of retroperitoneal sarcomas is poorly defined. We evaluated the correlation of maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) with pathologic tumor grade in the surgical specimen of primary retroperitoneal dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) and leiomyosarcoma (LMS). Methods Patients with the above histological subtypes in three participating institutions with preoperative 18F‐FDG PET/CT scan and histopathological specimen available for review were included. The association between SUVmax and pathological grade was assessed. Correlation between SUVmax and relapse‐free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were also studied. Results Of the total 58 patients, final pathological subtype was DDLPS in 44 (75.9%) patients and LMS in 14 (24.1%) patients. The mean SUVmax was 8.7 with a median 7.1 (range, 2.2–33.9). The tumors were graded I, II, III in 6 (10.3%), 35 (60.3%), and 17 (29.3%) patients, respectively. There was an association of higher histological grade with higher SUVmax (rs = 0.40, p = .002). Increasing SUVmax was associated with worse RFS (p = .003) and OS (p = .003). Conclusion There is a correlation between SUVmax and pathologic tumor grade; increasing SUVmax was associated with worse OS and RFS, providing a preoperative noninvasive surrogate marker of tumor grade and biological behavior.