The predictive recurrence value of MTV-s as an 18F-FDG PET/CT index in patients with IIB-IVA cervical cancer.

: The aim of this study was to explore the predictive recurrence value of the PET/CT index and some clinical features in patients with IIB-IVA cervical cancer.: This was a retrospective analysis of 84 patients with cervical cancer who underwent 18 F-FDG PET/CT scans before treatment. MTV-s is the sum of the metabolic volume of the primary cervical lesion (MTV-C) and the metabolic volume of the pelvic and abdominal paravascular metastatic lymph nodes (MTV-LN). We analyzed the relationships between clinical characteristics (age, FIGO stage, pathological pattern, degree of differentiation, tumor size, presence of LN metastasis), PET/CT index (SUVmax-C, SUVmax-LN, MTV-C, MTV-LN, MTV-s), and recurrence of cervical cancer using the chi-square test; the ROC curve was used to determine the PET/CT boundary parameters; and the COX proportional risk model was used for univariate and multivariate analysis of clinical features and the PET/CT index. The survival curve was drawn using the Kaplan-Meier method, comparing different groups by the log-rank test.: Eighty-four patients were included. During the observation period, 26 patients had tumor recurrence (31.0%). Univariate analysis showed that lymph node metastasis, lymph node SUVmax (SUVmax-LN), MTV-C, MTV-LN, and MTV-s were associated with PFS. MTV-s > 27.36 cm was an independent risk factor for PFS ( = 0.037). There were 41 patients with MTV-s > 27.36 cm, and 19 of them had tumor recurrence (46.3%). There were 43 patients with MTV-s ≤ 27.36 cm, 7 of whom had tumor recurrence (16.3%).: MTV-s can predict recurrence in patients with stage IIB-IVA cervical cancer, with a critical value of 27.36 cm. PET/CT can help clinicians judge the prognosis of patients more comprehensively.