Primary Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Lung: Radiometabolic ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) Findings and Correlation with Clinico-Pathological and Survival Results.
Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) is a very rare and uninvestigated subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).



The aims of this study were to define the radiometabolic features (by (18)F-FDG PET/CT) in a bi-centric cohort of 49 PSC patients and to explore their relation with clinico-pathological characteristics and long-term survival results after surgical treatment.



There were 40 males and 9 females aged 65.2 ± 10.47 years. Overall long-term survival was 26.7 % at 5 years. Mean and median values of SUVmax were 15.21 and 15, respectively (SD ±5.5). Performing an age-, gender- and staging-matched analysis comparing PSC Stage-I only with a cohort of Stage-I NSCLC (n = 93), we observed significantly higher SUVmax values in PSC group (15.11 vs 7.66, p = 0.001).



No differences in terms of SUVmax were found with regard to tumour dimensions, histology (pure vs mixed, pleomorphic vs others), pathological stage and pattern of recurrence. P-stage, surgical radicality, vascular/lymphatic invasion but not SUVmax affected long-term survival in PSC.
Unit of Thoracic Surgery, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova-IRCCS, via Risorgimento 80, 42100, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Cristian
C
Rapicetta
Unit of Thoracic Surgery, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova-IRCCS, via Risorgimento 80, 42100, Reggio Emilia, Italy. filippo_lococo@yahoo.it.
Filippo
F
Lococo
Unit of Thoracic Surgery, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
Alessandro
A
Stefani
Unit of Pathology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
Giulio
G
Rossi
Unit of Thoracic Surgery, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova-IRCCS, via Risorgimento 80, 42100, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Tommaso
T
Ricchetti
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova-IRCCS, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Angelina
A
Filice
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
Antonella
A
Franceschetto
Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET/CT Center, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
Giorgio
G
Treglia
Unit of Thoracic Surgery, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova-IRCCS, via Risorgimento 80, 42100, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Massimiliano
M
Paci
D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D000072078:Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015996:Survival Rate
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose
PET; Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma; Rare lung tumours; SUV; Survival