Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in patients with ampullary adenocarcinoma (AAC) after curative surgical resection.
Methods: Fifty-two patients with AAC who had undergone (18)F-FDG PET/CT and subsequent curative resections were retrospectively enrolled. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and tumor to background ratio (TBR) were measured on (18)F-FDG PET/CT in all patients. The prognostic significances of PET/CT parameters and clinicopathologic factors for recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses.
Results: Of the 52 patients, 19 (36.5%) experienced tumor recurrence during the follow-up period and 18 (35.8%) died. The 3-year RFS and OS were 62.3 and 61.5%, respectively. Preoperative CA19-9 level, tumor differentiation, presence of lymph node metastasis, SUVmax, and TBR were significant prognostic factors for both RFS and OS (p < 0.05) on univariate analyses, and patient age showed significance only for predicting RFS (p < 0.05). On multivariate analyses, SUVmax and TBR were independent prognostic factors for RFS, and tumor differentiation, SUVmax, and TBR were independent prognostic factors for OS.
Conclusion: SUVmax and TBR on preoperative (18)F-FDG PET/CT are independent prognostic factors for predicting RFS and OS in patients with AAC; patients with high SUVmax (>4.80) or TBR (>1.75) had poor survival outcomes. The role of and indications for adjuvant therapy after curative resection of AAC are still unclear. (18)F-FDG uptake in the primary tumor could provide additive prognostic information for the decision-making process regarding adjuvant therapy.