e15197 Background: Local failure, including local residual tumor and local recurrence, is the most common failure patterns for patients with esophageal cancer (EC) treated with radiotherapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) for predicting local failure in patients with EC. Methods: Twenty-two patients with biopsy-proven EC treated definitively with RT with or without chemotherapy were enrolled from June 2010 to August 2012. Dose of 60.4 - 70.2 Gy with 1.8 - 2.0Gy /fraction were delivered with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (CRT). All patients underwent FDG PET/CT scan prior to therapy. The patients were followed up every 3 months after treatment completion. Patients who developed local failure were confirmed with histological evidence or follow-up. Results: The follow up time was in the range of 5-30 months. Of 22 patients, 3 patients had local residual tumor, 2 patients experienced local recurrence. The mean SUVmax for patients with local failure was higher than that for patients without local failure (15.688±3.115 vs. 14.137± 4.397, p = 0.54). The local failure regions were mostly the regions with higher metabolic activity before radiotherapy. Conclusions: Patients with higher FDG-uptake may have higher risk to experienced local failure. The local failure regions were localized mostly in the higher FDG uptake regions of pre-therapeutically FGD PET/CT scans of the patients with EC.
Impact of combined FDG-PET/CT and MRI on the detection of local recurrence and nodal metastases in thyroid cancer