Different Prognostic Values of Plasma Epstein-Barr Virus DNA and Maximal Standardized Uptake Value of .sup.18F-FDG PET/CT for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients with Recurrence

To evaluate and compare the prognostic value of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA and maximal standard uptake values (SUV.sub.max) of .sup.18 F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (.sup.18 F-FDG-PET) in subgroups of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients with locoregional or distant recurrence. A total of 194 patients with recurrent NPC (locoregional recurrence: 107, distant recurrence: 87) were enrolled. Patients took evidence of recurrence performed with .sup.18 F-FDG-PET and an EBV DNA test before salvage treatment. Clinical parameters, the status of EBV DNA and the value of SUV.sub.max were used for survival analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards regression model. In the subgroup of patients with locoregional recurrence, patients with SUV.sub.max