Hybrid positron emission tomography imaging for initial staging of sinonasal tumors: Total lesion glycolysis as prognosticator of treatment response

Background To assess hybrid positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in the initial staging and outcome prediction of sinonasal malignancies. Methods Retrospective study on patients with sinonasal malignancies undergoing hybrid PET imaging for initial staging. Results Complete remission (CR) was achieved in 45 of 65 patients (69.2%). Overall sensitivity for detection of primaries using 18F-fluoro-deoxy-d-glucose PET (FDG-PET) was 95.4%, for lymph node metastases 100% and distant metastases (DM) 100%. On univariate analysis, PET parameter total lesion glycolysis (TLG) was associated with achieving CR after primary treatment (176.8 ± 157.2 vs 83.7 ± 110.8, P = .03). Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that TLG adjusted for the T classification best predicted achievement of CR. Conclusions Hybrid PET imaging yields an excellent sensitivity in detecting primary tumors, lymph node metastases and DM in sinonasal malignancies. TLG of the primary tumor is an independent prognostic factor for achieving CR after initial treatment.