The prognostic significance of intratumoral heterogeneity of 18F-FDG uptake in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of two major indices intratumoral heterogeneity 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake by positron emission tomography (PET)/computed (CT), namely index (HI) and factor (HF), in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis 62 who underwent resective surgery. HI, HF, maximum standardized value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were obtained from pretreatment PET. HI was dividing SUVmax SUVmean for primary lesion; HF taking derivative (dV/dT) volume-threshold function 30 70%. Univariate multivariate analyses overall survival (OS) disease-free (DFS) using PET clinicopathological parameters. Results OS revealed that higher levels (threshold is 30% SUVmax) associated poorer [hazard ratio (HR) = 11.57; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.45–92.28; P =  0.021]. Moreover, univariate DFS TLG MTV 4.0 SUV) (HR = 14.48; CI = 1.27–164.78; 0.031). Conclusions may be statistically significant factors DFS, respectively.