Prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET image-based parameters in oesophageal cancer and impact of tumour delineation methodology

Abstract
18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) image-derived parameters, such as standardized uptake value (SUV), functional tumour length (TL) and tumour volume (TV) or total lesion glycolysis (TLG), may be useful for determining prognosis in patients with oesophageal carcinoma. The objectives of this work were to investigate the prognostic value of these indices in oesophageal cancer patients undergoing combined chemoradiotherapy treatment and the impact of TV delineation strategies.