(18)F-RGD PET/CT and Systemic Inflammatory Biomarkers Predict Outcomes of Patients With Advanced NSCLC Receiving Combined Antiangiogenic Treatment

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate (18)F-AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-RGD PET/CT) and serum inflammation biomarkers for predicting outcomes of patients receiving combined antiangiogenic treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Patients with advanced NSCLC underwent (18)F-RGD PET/CT examination and provided blood samples before treatments commenced. PET/CT parameters included maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) and mean standard uptake value (SUVmean), peak standard uptake value (SUVpeak) and metabolic tumor volume (MTV) for all contoured lesions. Biomarkers for inflammation included pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (PreNLR), pretreatment platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PrePLR), and pretreatment lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (PreLMR). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to describe response prediction accuracy. Logistic regression and Cox’s regression analysis was implemented to identify independent factors for short-term responses and progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: This study included 23 patients. According to ROC curve analysis, there were significant correlations between the SUVmax, SUVmean, and (18)F-RGD PET/CT MTV and short-term responses (p<0.05). SUVmax was identified using logistic regression analysis as a significant predictor of treatment sensitivity (p=0.008). Cox’s multivariate regression analysis suggested that high SUVpeak (p=0.021) and high PreLMR (p=0.03) were independent PFS predictors. Combining SUVpeak and PreLMR may also increase the prognostic value for PFS, enabling us to identify a subgroup of patients with intermediate PFS. CONCLUSION: (18)F-RGD uptake on PET/CT and serum inflammation biomarker pretreatment may predict outcomes for combined antiangiogenic treatments for advanced NSCLC patients. Higher (18)F-RGD uptake and higher PreLMR also appear to predict improved short-term responses and PFS. Combining biomarkers may therefore provide a basis for risk stratification, although further research is required.