Assessing 18F‑FDG PET/CT Uptake and its Correlation with Molecular Biomarkers in Penile Cancer
10.1007/s13139-024-00877-y
- Author:
André SALAZAR
1
;
Eduardo Paulino JÚNIOR
;
Diego F. SÁNCHEZ
;
Aízis Tatiane Santos GONÇALVES
;
Renata Toscano SIMÕES
;
Raul SILVA‑FILHO
;
João V. S. RAIMUNDO
;
Yuri V. C. SOARES
;
Matheus L. MARINHO
;
Antonio L. CUBILLA
;
Marcelo MAMEDE
Author Information
1. Urology Section, Mario Penna Institute, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Publication Type:ORIGINAL ARTICLE
- From:Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
2025;59(2):135-146
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Background:Penile Cancer is a rare and aggressive disease. Related to complex metabolic processes.
Objective:This study investigates the effectiveness of 18F-FDG PET/CT as a noninvasive method in evaluating penile cancer patients, focusing on the correlation between tissue expression of key tumor markers involved in glucose metabolism and proliferation, and the uptake of 18F-FDG.
Methods:Fifty-one patients were selected and underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT-based staging. Semiquantitative analysis wasperformed using the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax ) and volumetric SUV (SUV2SD ). Tissue expressionanalysis of GLUT-1, hexokinase-II, Ki67, p16, and p53 was performed by tissue microarray. PCR evaluated HPV DNA.
Results:Warty SCC showed the highest SUV value and significant differences in SUVmax (p=0.015). Higher SUVmax and SUV2SD values were observed in grade 3 tumors. In typical invasive SCC, grade 3, HPV+, p16-negative, p53-negative,GLUT-1 i-3, and HK-II i-3 tumors showed a higher mean SUV. The Ki-67 value significantly differed for grade 3 tumors (p=0.001) and HK-II i-1 tumors (p=0.036). Ki-67 positivity was also higher in HPV-, p16 i-2, p53 i-3, and GLUT-1 i-3 tumors; none of the differences were statistically significant.
Conclusions:The study highlights correlations between the uptake of 18F-FDG and the expression of markers associated with glycolytic metabolism in penile cancer. It suggests a potential trend where increased expression of glucose transport markers is linked to higher histological grades and Ki-67 expression. There were no significant differences regarding HPV positivity, demonstrating the complexity of penile cancer molecular biology and need more studies with a higher number of patients.
