Maximum standardized uptake value in 11C-methionine positron emission tomography may predict the prognosis of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma

Takeshi Kuroshima; Yoshimasa Kitagawa; Jun Sato; Shiro Watanabe; Takuya Asaka; Takahiro Abe; Hiroyuki Harada; Kenji Hirata; Yuji Kuge

doi:10.1007/s10266-024-00946-w

Maximum standardized uptake value in ¹¹C-methionine positron emission tomography may predict the prognosis of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma

Odontology. 2025 Jan;113(1):372-378. doi: 10.1007/s10266-024-00946-w. Epub 2024 May 4.

Authors

Takeshi Kuroshima^{1

2}, Yoshimasa Kitagawa³, Jun Sato³, Shiro Watanabe⁴, Takuya Asaka³, Takahiro Abe⁵, Hiroyuki Harada⁶, Kenji Hirata⁴, Yuji Kuge⁷

Affiliations

¹ Division of Oral Diagnosis and Medicine, Hokkaido University Faculty of Dental Medicine and Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. kuroosur@tmd.ac.jp.
² Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical Oncology, Division of Health Science, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. kuroosur@tmd.ac.jp.
³ Division of Oral Diagnosis and Medicine, Hokkaido University Faculty of Dental Medicine and Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
⁴ Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
⁵ Department of Oral Surgery, Kitami Red Cross Hospital, Kitami, Hokkaido, Japan.
⁶ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical Oncology, Division of Health Science, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
⁷ Central Institute of Isotope Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.

PMID: 38703257
DOI: 10.1007/s10266-024-00946-w

Abstract

The present study aimed to elucidate the correlation between the uptake of ¹¹C-methionine (MET) by a primary tumor and the survival of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This study enrolled 31 patients who underwent radical surgery for OSCC. The patients underwent pretreatment MET-positron emission tomography (PET) scanning. We analyzed correlations between the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV_max) of MET-PET in a primary tumor and the clinicopathological features. Further, we compared overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and loco-regional recurrence (LRR) rates between the two groups according to SUV_max of MET-PET. SUV_max of MET-PET in a primary tumor was higher in patients with advanced T-classification and advanced clinical stage, with significant differences (P = 0.001 and P = 0.016, respectively). The patients with SUV_max of MET-PET ≥ 4.4 showed significantly lower DSS rates and higher LRR rates than those with SUV_max of < 4.4 (P = 0.015 and P = 0.016, respectively). SUV_max of MET-PET and OS rates showed no significant correlation (P = 0.073). The present study revealed that SUV_max of MET-PET may predict clinical outcomes and prognosis in patients with OSCC who underwent radical surgery.

Keywords: 11C-methionine (MET); Oral cancer; Positron emission tomography (PET); Prognosis; Squamous cell carcinoma.

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Carbon Radioisotopes
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* / diagnostic imaging
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* / pathology
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* / surgery
Female
Humans
Male
Methionine*
Middle Aged
Mouth Neoplasms* / diagnostic imaging
Mouth Neoplasms* / pathology
Mouth Neoplasms* / surgery
Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / diagnostic imaging
Neoplasm Staging
Positron-Emission Tomography*
Prognosis
Radiopharmaceuticals
Retrospective Studies

Substances

Methionine
Carbon Radioisotopes
Radiopharmaceuticals