OBJECTIVETo evaluate the correlation between standardized uptake valus (SUV) of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18 F-FDG) of tumor at PET/CT examination and the expression of glucose transporter-1 (Glutl) and Ki-67 in esophageal cancer.

METHODS56 patients with esophageal cancer were evaluated with 18 F-FDG PET/CT examination before operation. The expression of Glut1 and Ki-67 antigen in the tumor tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry after operation.

RESULTS(1) Positive rate of Glutl and Ki-67 expression in esophageal cancer tissues was 100% , respectively. There was a positive correlation between the expression of Glutl and Ki-67 and the clinical stages and differentiation of the tumor. The more the tumor and the clinical stages were advanced and the lower was the tumor differentiation, the more Glutl and Ki-67 were expressed. (2) There were abnormal radioactive high uptake regions on PET/CT imaging of esophagus in the 56 patients, which were confirmed by pathology as the primary carcinoma. The SUV was higher than 2. 5. There was a gradually increasing tendency in SUV along with the lowering of the tumor differentiation and the advance of clinical stages. (3)There was a correlation between the expression of Glutl, Ki-67 and the SUV, the more Glutl and Ki-67 were expressed, the higher the SUV of tumor 18F-FDG at PET/CT examination was in esophageal tumor tissues.

CONCLUSIONThere is a widespread expression of Glutl in esophageal cancer tissues, and the SUV may be used to indirectly evaluate the proliferative capacity of esophageal cancer.