Prediction of Histologic Subtype and FNCLCC Grade by SUVmax Measured on (18)F-FDG PET/CT in Patients with Retroperitoneal Liposarcoma

This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) on (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) in differentiating the subtypes and tumor grades of retroperitoneal liposarcoma (RPLS). The data of RPLS patients who underwent surgical resection from November 2013 to December 2019 at the sarcoma center of our institute were reviewed. The demographics, clinical features, and SUVmax of 84 patients who underwent preoperative (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans were analyzed. Of these, 19 patients (22.6%) were with well-differentiated liposarcoma (WDLPS), 60 patients (71.4%) were with dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS), and 5 patients (6.0%) were with pleomorphic liposarcoma (PMLPS). The median SUVmax of WDLPS, DDLPS, and PMLPS groups was 2.8 (IQR: 1.9–3.2), 6.2 (IQR: 4.1–11.3), and 4.5 (IQR: 4.0–7.4). The ROC curve suggested 3.8 as an approximate cutoff value of SUVmax for distinguishing WDLPS and non-WDLPS (sensitivity = 0.769; specificity = 0.895). The median SUVmax for FNCLCC Grades 1, 2, and 3 of RPLS was 2.5 (IQR: 1.9–3.2), 4.5 (IQR: 3.2–6.7), and 9.0 (IQR: 6.0–13.3). The ROC curves suggest that SUVmax of ≤3.8 and >5.3 can be used for predicting FNCLCC Grades 1 and 3, respectively. The result showed that (18)F-FDG PET/CT exhibited high sensitivity and specificity for identifying the subtypes and FNCLCC grades of RPLS. Additionally, (18)F-FDG PET/CT might be a useful complementary imaging modality for guiding suitable biopsy location of RPLS.