FDG uptake, GLUT-1 glucose transporter and cellularity in human pancreatic tumors

J Nucl Med. 1998 Oct;39(10):1727-35.

Abstract

We previously reported that grading of GLUT-1 glucose transporter expression was related closely to FDG accumulation in FDG PET in human cancers. But in this strong GLUT-1 expression group, there was an enormous range of standardized uptake values (SUVs) within them.

Methods: To evaluate other factors determining the FDG PET uptake, FDG PET was performed in 36 preoperative patients (mean age 62.0 yr) suspected of having pancreatic tumors, including 33 malignant and 3 benign neoplastic tumors. FDG uptake at 50 min after injection of 185 MBq 18F-FDG with > 5 hr fasting condition was semiquantitatively analyzed as SUVs. The GLUT-1 expression was studied by immunohistochemistry of paraffin sections from these tumors after the operation using the antiGLUT-1 antibody. The number of tumor cells within a 5- x 5-mm square was counted manually using x200 magnification photographs and was graded immunohistochemically as strong, weak or negative.

Results: In all 36 cases there were 3 cases of GLUT-1 negative, 8 of GLUT-1 weak positive and 25 of GLUT-1 strong positive. In all cases, the total number of tumor cells had no significant value for SUVs. Among 33 GLUT-1 positive cases, the number of GLUT-1 positive tumor cells correlated significantly with SUVs (p < 0.01). Only in 25 strong grade cases, the number of GLUT-1 strong positive tumor cells had a more significant value for SUVs (p < 0.005). Computational multivariate analysis using multiple regression for SUVs was performed evaluating the five variables as follows: tumor size, GLUT-1 immunohistochemical grading, number of total tumor cells, number of total GLUT-1 positive tumor cells and number of GLUT-1 strong positive cells. This analysis revealed that only the variable, the number of GLUT-1 strong positive cells, had a significant regression coefficient for SUVs (standard regression coefficient = 0.855, p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: These data indicate that GLUT-1 expression plays an essential role in higher FDG accumulation in pancreatic tumor FDG PET, and the cellularity has a significant influence on SUVs only in the condition of GLUT-1 strong positive expression.

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / diagnostic imaging
  • Adenocarcinoma / metabolism
  • Adenocarcinoma / pathology
  • Female
  • Fluorine Radioisotopes*
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18* / pharmacokinetics
  • Glucose Transporter Type 1
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Monosaccharide Transport Proteins / analysis*
  • Pancreas / metabolism
  • Pancreas / pathology
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Radiopharmaceuticals* / pharmacokinetics
  • Tomography, Emission-Computed*

Substances

  • Fluorine Radioisotopes
  • Glucose Transporter Type 1
  • Monosaccharide Transport Proteins
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • SLC2A1 protein, human
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18