FDG uptake and glucose transporter type 1 expression in lymph nodes of non-small cell lung cancer.
OBJECTIVE
FDG uptake in NSCLC is related to glucose transporter type 1 (Glut-1) expression. Here, we investigated the direct causal relationship between FDG uptake and Glut-1 expression to determine the role of Glut-1 in FDG uptake by malignant and benign lymph nodes (LNs).


METHODS
Fifty-five curative lung resections in 53 NSCLC patients (male:female=36:17, age=62.0+/-11.8 years) were included. Maximum standardized uptake values (maxSUVs) of LNs in preoperative whole body FDG-PET and Glut-1 immunostaining results were compared.


RESULTS
Of 316 pathologically confirmed LNs, 12.3% (39/316) were malignant, and in malignant LNs, FDG positive LNs were no different from FDG negative LNs in terms of size (15.0+/-6.7 mm vs 10.0+/-6.1mm, p>0.05), or in terms of the proportion of LNs occupied by tumor (60.0+/-28.8% vs 39.2+/-38.4%, p>0.05), but had greater percentages of Glut-1 positive cells in tumors (74.1+/-31.8% vs 22.7+/-18.7%, p<0.01), and Glut-1 staining intensities (3.4+/-0.9 vs 1.8+/-1.3, p<0.01). FDG negative malignant LNs featured cytoplasmic Glut-1 expression and adenocarcinoma. Glut-1 staining intensities were found to be significantly correlated with the maxSUVs of malignant LNs (rho=0.516, p<0.05), but the percentages of Glut-1 positive cells in tumors were not (r=0.2072, p>0.05). Analysis of FDG positive benign LNs showed that maxSUV was not correlated with degree of follicular hyperplasia, or Glut-1 expression (p>0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Intense Glut-1 immunoreactivity was found to be proportionally related to the degree of FDG uptake by malignant LNs in NSCLC. However, the finding that Glut-1 expression in lymphoid hyperplasia showed no correlation with FDG uptake in benign LNs requires further investigation.
Chung
J-H
JH
Department of Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Lee
W W
WW
Park
S Y
SY
Choe
G
G
Sung
S W
SW
Chung
J-K
JK
Lee
M C
MC
Kim
S E
SE
D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D051272:Glucose Transporter Type 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D051272:Glucose Transporter Type 1; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18