JOPIC
Journal of Pulmonology and Intensive Care

The JoPIC is an independent-unbiased, peer-reviewed, and open-access journal of current national and international issues and reviews for original clinical and experimental research, interesting case reports, surgical techniques, differential diagnoses, editorial opinions, letters to the editor, and educational papers in pulmonology, thoracic surgery, occupational diseases, allergology, and intensive care medicine.

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Original Article
The prognostic value of PET/CT-derived volumetric parameters for postoperative recurrence in resected non-small cell lung cancer
Abstract
Aims: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) recurrence is high even after complete surgical resection. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between recurrence and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography computed tomography parameters and to determine prognostic factors.
Methods: Stage I–II NSCLC, confirmed through pathology after undergoing surgical resection were retrospective analyzed. Before surgery, metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were derived by applying SUVmax-based thresholds of 2.5 and 42%. Data regarding demographics, clinicopathological features, and tumor characteristics were gathered. Kaplan–Meier method was used for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival rates. Prognostic factors causing recurrence were evaluated using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis.
Results: The average age of the 179 people included in the study was 61.24 years. Median follow up time was 50 months. Recurrence occurred in 38.5% of the patients. Prognostic factors for recurrence were larger tumor size, visceral pleural invasion, and PL2 involvement. When stratified by histology, MTV measured using SUVmax thresholds of 2.5 and 42% was significantly higher in patients with recurrence in the squamous cell carcinoma subgroup. In univariate analysis, high MTV42% was associated with shorter DFS. In multivariate analysis, MTV2.5 remained an independent predictor of DFS. SUVmax and TLG were not independently associated with DFS.
Conclusion: Disease-free survival was influenced by tumor size and the presence of pleural invasion. MTV may serve as a complementary prognostic biomarker to TNM staging in patients with early-stage NSCLC.

Keywords : Disease free survival, NSCLC, recurrence, SUVmax, total lesion glycolysis, metabolic tumor volume

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Article available in :
Volume 4, Issue 3, 2026
Page : 79-87
https://doi.org/10.51271/JOPIC-0085
Article Information
Received : 25 Haz 2026
Accepted : 27 Tem 2026
Published : 20 Ağu 2026
Corresponding Author :

Ezgi Erdem Türe: Department of Chest Diseases, Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Ankara, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Erdem Türe E, Özmen Ö, Akın Kabalak P, Demiröz ŞM. The prognostic value of PET/CT-derived volumetric parameters for postoperative recurrence in resected non-small cell lung cancer. J Pulmonol Intens Care. 2026;4(3):79-87. doi:10.51271/JOPIC-0085

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