Comparison of SUV Values Obtained from F-18 FDG PET/CT and Cell-free DNA Levels Measured from Plasma in Oncology Patients.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to compare the quantitative value of standardized uptake value (SUV) SUV obtained from F-18 FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging of oncology patients with the cell-free DNA (cfDNA) amounts measured in plasma of patients and thus investigate if cfDNA is a significant marker to identify the presence of malignancy in the early period.

METHODS

A total of 184 patients were included in the study. The clinical, histopathologic, laboratory and treatment parameters were extracted from patient files. SUV and cfDNA quantities were assessed

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant difference in plasma cfDNA values between patient and control groups. The comparison of SUV and cfDNA values in the study showed that there was a weak correlation between SUVand cfDNA. There was a significant difference between tumor size and SUV values. However, there was no statistically significant difference between tumor size and cfDNA.

CONCLUSION

cfDNA measurements in the blood as a screening test have provided hope for early diagnosis and monitoring of cancer patients. Comparison of cfDNA levels obtained from plasma and quantitative parameters from PET/CT images of oncology patients in detailed advanced studies with larger patient series are required.