Prediction of Response to Definitive Chemoradiotherapy in Esophageal Cancer Using Positron Emission Tomography

Background: Positron emission tomography (PET) with 18-F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has already proven useful in assessing the extension of esophageal carcinomas, detecting tumor recurrence and monitoring responses to therapy. The current study aims to assess the potential role of FDG-PET in predicting the response of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) to definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Patients and Methods: Twenty-seven patients with thoracic esophageal SCC who received definitive CRT between January 2001 and December 2005 underwent PET before and after CRT. The clinical evaluation of the primary tumor response to treatment was classified as either complete response (CR) or non-CR. Results: All patients had intensive FDG uptake in the primary tumor prior to CRT. The standardized uptake value (SUV) averaged 8.2±4.7 before CRT and decreased significantly to 2.8±1.8 after CRT (p