The Open Pathology Journal

2009, 3 : 33-37
Published online 2009 May 15. DOI: 10.2174/1874375700903010033
Publisher ID: TOPATJ-3-33

Maximum Standardized Uptake Value of F-18 FDG-PET Inversely Correlated with Immunoexpression of p16 in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Ihab Abdulkader , Álvaro Ruibal , José Cameselle-Teijeiro , Francisco Gude , Jens Jørgen Christensen , Luís León , Patricia Arce-Calisaya , Aida Sánchez-Salmón and Jerónimo Forteza1
Department of Pathology, Hospital Clínico Universitario, 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain

ABSTRACT

We have studied the possible relationship between the immunohistochemical expression of p16INK4a and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max) of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (F-18 FDGPET) in 49 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Immunohistochemical negativity of p16INK4a was verified in 71.4 % of the patients, higher in squamous cell carcinomas than in adenocarcinomas (p: 0.033). The SUV max correlates with negativity for p16INK4a (p: 0.042) and was higher (p: 0.024) in cases with p16INK4a-negative (17.3 ± 8.3) than in cases with p16INK4a-positive (12.7 ± 5.2). We can conclude that inactivation of the p16 INK4a gene is very frequent in NSCLC, with higher values in squamous cell carcinomas. SUV max correlated positively and statistically with negativity for p16INK4a, which could explain why higher estimates of SUV max are found in squamous cell carcinomas when compared to adenocarcinomas. Only the clinical stage was found to be an independent prognostic value after multivariate analysis.

Keywords:

F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose, PET, p16, non-small lung cancer, SUV max.