Usefulness of Positron Emission Tomography With Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose in Predicting Treatment Response in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Treated With External Beam Radiotherapy

External beam RT for HCC patients with higher SUV ratios resulted in higher response rates than for patients with lower SUV ratios. Treatment of HCC with higher SUV ratios did not result in increased survival; high rates of intrahepatic and distant metastases in both SUV groups may have affected patient survival. SUV ratios from pre-RT FDG-PET may be beneficial for selecting patients who are likely to respond to EBRT for unresectable HCC.