The maximum standardized uptake value and extent of peritoneal involvement may predict the prognosis of patients with recurrent ovarian cancer after primary treatment: A retrospective clinical study

We investigated the effect of the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV(max)) and peritoneal dissemination derived from (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging on prognosis in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. We retrospectively analyzed 145 patients with suspected recurrent ovarian cancer who had undergone (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans after cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy. The degree of peritoneal spread was classified as localized (1–3 FDG foci) or diffuse (>3 FDG foci). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to determine the cut-off values for predicting recurrence. A total of 145 patients were retrospectively reviewed in this study. 29 patients were excluded as their follow-up results were not available. One hundred sixteen patients were included in the final analysis. The median duration of progression-free survival was 14 months. (18)F-FDG PET/CT detected peritoneal carcinomatosis in 82 patients. With a cut-off SUV(max) of 2.0 obtained from the ROC curve analysis, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of SUV(max) of peritoneal carcinomatosis for predicting recurrence were 77.6%, 87.5%, 65.1%, 97.4%, and 38.9%, respectively. The area under the curve was 0.85. In a multivariate analysis, significant independent prognostic variables were SUV(max) of peritoneal disease, peritoneal dissemination, and CA125 levels. In patients with peritoneal involvement, the Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed significantly longer PFS in those with localized disease. SUV(max) of peritoneal disease is valuable in predicting the recurrence of ovarian cancer. SUV(max) of peritoneal disease, peritoneal dissemination and CA125 level could be used as independent prognostic factors for ovarian cancer patients.