18F-FDG uptake in primary lung cancer as a predictor of intratumoral vessel invasion

Objective This study investigated how fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake on PET in the primary tumor may predict intratumoral vessel invasion (IVI) in it. Methods A total of 512 patients with lung neoplasms determined by a surgical procedure and histopathological diagnosis had undergone FDG-PET scanning. Results Among the 440 cases confirmed to be malignant, the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max ) was significantly lower in IVI-negative cases than IVI-positive cases ( P < 0.001). In the substudy on adenocarcinoma (AC), SUV max was significantly lower in IVI-negative cases too ( P < 0.001), but SUV max in squamous cell carcinoma was without significant difference. In addition, IVI was associated with a significantly higher probability of lymph node metastasis ( P < 0.001). Conclusions This study indicates that a malignant lung tumor with higher SUV max has a significantly higher probability of IVI and lymph node metastasis, particularly if the malignancy is an AC.