Is It Possible to Establish a Reliable Correlation between Maximum Standardized Uptake Value of 18-Fluorine Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography and Histological Types of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer? Analysis of the Italian VATS Group Database
Duilio Divisi,
Marta Rinaldi,
Stefano Necozione,
Carlo Curcio,
Federico Rea,
Francesco Zaraca,
Andrea De Vico,
Gino Zaccagna,
Gabriella Di Leonardo,
Roberto Crisci,
on behalf of the Italian VATS Group
Affiliations
Duilio Divisi
Thoracic Surgery Unit, Department of Life, Health & Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, “Giuseppe Mazzini” Hospital, Piazza Italia 1, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Marta Rinaldi
Thoracic Surgery Unit, Department of Life, Health & Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, “Giuseppe Mazzini” Hospital, Piazza Italia 1, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Stefano Necozione
Department of Internal Medicine and Public Health, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Carlo Curcio
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Monaldi Hospital, 80131 Naples, Italy
Federico Rea
Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, Padova City Hospital, 35100 Padova, Italy
Francesco Zaraca
Department of Vascular and Thoracic Surgery, Central Hospital, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
Andrea De Vico
Thoracic Surgery Unit, Department of Life, Health & Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, “Giuseppe Mazzini” Hospital, Piazza Italia 1, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Gino Zaccagna
Thoracic Surgery Unit, Department of Life, Health & Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, “Giuseppe Mazzini” Hospital, Piazza Italia 1, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Gabriella Di Leonardo
Thoracic Surgery Unit, Department of Life, Health & Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, “Giuseppe Mazzini” Hospital, Piazza Italia 1, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Roberto Crisci
Thoracic Surgery Unit, Department of Life, Health & Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, “Giuseppe Mazzini” Hospital, Piazza Italia 1, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Background. Although positron emission tomography/computed tomography, often integrated with 2-deoxy-2-[fluorine-18] fluorine-D-glucose (18F-FDG-PET/CT), is fundamental in the assessment of lung cancer, the relationship between metabolic avidity of different histotypes and maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) has not yet been thoroughly investigated. The aim of the study is to establish a reliable correlation between Suvmax and histology in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), in order to facilitate patient management. Methods. We retrospectively assessed the data about lung cancer patients entered in the Italian Registry of VATS Group from January 2014 to October 2019, after establishing the eligibility criteria of the study. In total, 8139 patients undergoing VATS lobectomy were enrolled: 3260 females and 4879 males. The relationship between SUVmax and tumor size was also analyzed. Results. The mean values of SUVmax in the most frequent types of lung cancer were as follows: (a) 4.88 ± 3.82 for preinvasive adenocarcinoma; (b) 5.49 ± 4.10 for minimally invasive adenocarcinoma; (c) 5.87 ± 4.18 for invasive adenocarcinoma; and (d) 8.85 ± 6.70 for squamous cell carcinoma. Processing these data, we displayed a statistically difference (p p < 0.000001) between size and FDG uptake, also confirmed by the post hoc analysis. Conclusions. There is a correlation between SUVmax, histopathology outcomes and tumor size in NSCLC. Further clinical trials should be performed in order to confirm our data.
