Comparison of integrin α v β 3 expression with 68 Ga-NODAGA-RGD PET/CT and glucose metabolism with 18 F-FDG PET/CT in esophageal or gastroesophageal junction cancers

Background The primary aims of this study were to compare in patients with esophageal or esophagogastric junction cancers the potential of 68 Ga-NODAGA-RGD PET/CT with that of 18 F-FDG PET/CT regarding tumoral uptake and distribution, as well as histopathologic examination. Methods Ten 68 Ga-NODAGA-RGD and ten 18 F-FDG PET/CT were performed in nine prospectively included participants (1 woman; aged 58 ± 8.4 y, range 40–69 y). Maximum SUV (SUV max ) and metabolic tumor volumes (MTV) were calculated. The Mann–Whitney U test and Spearman correlation analysis ( ρ ) were used. Results 68 Ga-NODAGA-RGD PET/CT detected positive uptake in 10 primary sites (8 for primary tumors and 2 for local relapse suspicion), 6 lymph nodes and 3 skeletal sites. 18 F-FDG PET/CT detected positive uptake in the same sites but also in 16 additional lymph nodes and 1 adrenal gland. On a lesion-based analysis, SUV max of 18 F-FDG was significantly higher than those of 68 Ga-NODAGA-RGD (4.9 [3.7–11.3] vs. 3.2 [2.6–4.2] g/mL, p = 0.014). Only one participant showed a higher SUV max in an osseous metastasis with 68 Ga-NODAGA-RGD as compared to 18 F-FDG (6.6 vs. 3.9 g/mL). Correlation analysis showed positive correlation between 18 F-FDG and 68 Ga-NODAGA-RGD PET parameters ( ρ = 0.56, p = 0.012 for SUV max , ρ = 0.78, p < 0.001 for lesion-to-background ratios and ρ = 0.58, p = 0.024 for MTV). We observed that 18 F-FDG uptake was homogenous inside all the confirmed primary sites ( n = 9). In contrast, 68 Ga-NODAGA-RGD PET showed more heterogenous uptake in 6 out of the 9 confirmed primary sites (67%), seen mostly in the periphery of the tumor in 5 out of the 9 confirmed primary sites (56%), and showed slight extensions into perilesional structures in 5 out of the 9 confirmed primary sites (56%). Conclusions In conclusion, 68 Ga-NODAGA-RGD has lower potential in the detection of esophageal or esophagogastric junction malignancies compared to 18 F-FDG. However, the results suggest that PET imaging of integrin α v β 3 expression may provide complementary information and could aid in tumor diversity and delineation. Trial registration: Trial registration: NCT02666547. Registered January 28, 2016—Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02666547 .