Evaluating Positron Emission Tomography-Based Functional Imaging Changes in the Heart After Chemo-Radiation for Patients With Lung Cancer

Cardiac metabolic changes on 18F‐positron emission tomography after thoracic radiotherapy predict for overall survival in esophageal cancer patients

“…Although the results were not significant using linear regression, our data revealed an overall trend of increasing SUV cardiac changes as a function of dose. The dose-response data are in line with cardiac imaging results reported for esophageal cancer patients, 27,28 lung cancer patients, 21,26,29 and head and neck cancer patients. 30 Jingu et al 28 showed focal increased SUV uptake (using FDG-PET scans) in the myocardium after radiotherapy for esophageal cancer patients and Takanami et al 27 demonstrated correlations between radiation dose to the heart and myocardium metabolism (using single photon emission computed tomography (CT) imaging).…”

“…A limitation of the current work is the 51-patient samplesize. Although 51 patients are in line with previous functional imaging work, 26 51 patients are a sub-optimal number of patients for robust survival statistics. Consistent with previous dose-response work, 21,26,31,35 the current study used rigid registration to register the preand post-treatment PET scans to the treatment planning CT.…”

“…The presented cardiac functional imaging data for esophageal cancer patients are in line with results that have been reported for lung cancer patients. 26 Vinogradskiy et al 26 evaluated PET-based SUV changes in the heart for lung cancer patients who underwent chemo-radiation and found similar trends. Specifically, the study in lung cancer patients noted that pre-to post-treatment PET changes were predictive of OS and that an increase in SUV from preto post-treatment corresponded with improved OS.…”

“…30 Jingu et al 28 showed focal increased SUV uptake (using FDG-PET scans) in the myocardium after radiotherapy for esophageal cancer patients and Takanami et al 27 demonstrated correlations between radiation dose to the heart and myocardium metabolism (using single photon emission computed tomography (CT) imaging). For advanced-stage lung cancer patients, the data presented by Vinogradskiy et al 26 showed increasing FDG uptake in the heart as a function of dose, while the study presented by Guerrero et al 21 showed increasing FDG signal in normal lung as a function of dose. Evans et al 31 demonstrated increased SUV with increasing dose for early-stage lung cancer patients treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy.…”

Multimodality Imaging Assessment of the Heart Before and After Stage III Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Radiation Therapy

“…[19] Vinogradskiy ADVANCESRADONC-D-21-00270R1 et al evaluated 18 FDG/PET imaging changes in terms of the whole heart, with the Kaplan-Meier curves showing an overall trend of improved OS, corresponding with increasing SUVmean cardiac values. [20] However, the study lacked did not use a protocol for suppression of myocyte glucose uptake and the time interval between baseline and follow-up imaging (range 201-1131 days) was inconsistent. Our study is the first to report cardiac functional changes following NSCLC RT using multi-modality imaging.…”