Correlation of GLUT-1 Expression and F-18-FDG Uptake on Positron Emission Tomography in Breast Carcinoma / 대한암학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) has been proven to be useful in the detection of breast cancer. However, the degree of FDG uptake was variable. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) expression with the FDG uptake in patients with breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 15 patients with proven breast cancer underwent F-18-FDG PET. After surgical resection, anti-GLUT-1 immunohistochemical staining was performed in tumor tissues to measure the GLUT-1 expression. We evaluated the correlation between semi-quantitative FDG uptake by standardized uptake value (SUV) and GLUT-1 expression. RESULTS: In total 15 patients, there was no significant correlation between SUV and GLUT-1 expression. We separated the patients into two groups according to the tumor size. In the group of large tumor (short diameter > or =2 cm), there was no significant correlation. However, in the group of small tumor (short diameter <2 cm), there was a significant correlation between the FDG uptake and GLUT-1 expression (rho=0.812, p=0.047). CONCLUSION: GLUT-1 expression can influence the FDG uptake in the small breast cancers. For large breast cancers, other factors as well as GLUT-1 expression may influence the FDG uptake.