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High FDG uptake on PET is associated with negative cell-to-cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin expression in lung adenocarcinoma

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Abstract

Objectives

E-cadherin is a main cell-to-cell adhesion molecule. A negative expression of E-cadherin correlates with distant metastasis in lung cancer. Recently, it was reported that there is an association between FDG uptake on PET and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in non-small cell lung cancer. Downregulation of E-cadherin is one of the best markers of EMT. The purpose of this study was to compare E-cadherin expression with FDG uptake on PET, cell differentiation, aggressiveness and post-operative recurrence in patients with lung adenocarcinoma, and to investigate whether FDG uptake on PET is associated with E-cadherin expression.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 40 lung adenocarcinoma patients who underwent thoracotomy and FDG PET before thoracotomy. These patients were evaluated FDG PET metrics such as standardized uptake value (SUV), the immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin in surgical specimens, clinicopathological features, including tumor size, pathologic stage, cell differentiation, aggressiveness and post-operative recurrence.

Results

High FDG uptake correlated with negative E-cadherin expression (P = 0.043). SUVmax was higher in a negative E-cadherin expression lung adenocarcinoma than in a positive E-cadherin expression lung adenocarcinoma (P = 0.033). Patients with moderately poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma had frequent negative E-cadherin expression or high FDG uptake (P = 0.004, P = 0.0001, respectively). Patients with aggressive adenocarcinoma had frequent negative E-cadherin expression or high FDG uptake (P = 0.004, P = 0.001, respectively). Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed that negative E-cadherin expression or high FDG uptake were strongly correlated with shortened disease-free survival (P = 0.0153, P = 0.0001, respectively).

Conclusion

High FDG uptake on PET was associated with negative E-cadherin expression in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Both high FDG uptake and negative E-cadherin expression were strongly correlated with poor differentiation, aggressiveness, and post-operative recurrence. These findings may cause the association between high FDG uptake and negative E-cadherin expression.

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Acknowledgements

This study was partially supported by a grant-in-aid for scientific research (26460442) to YU from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture, Japan and a grant for specially promoted research from Kanazawa Medical University (SR2012-01) to YU.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Asanogawa General Hospital, 83 Kosakamachi-Naka, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-8621, Japan

    Kotaro Higashi

  2. Department of Pathology, Kanazawa Medical University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan

    Yoshimichi Ueda & Miyako Shimasaki

  3. Medical Research Institute, Kanazawa Medical University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan

    Yasuhito Ishigaki, Yuka Nakamura & Tsutomu Takegami

  4. Department of Radiation Therapy, Public Central Hospital of Matto Ishikawa, Kanazawa, Japan

    Manabu Oguchi

  5. Department of Radiology, Kanazawa Medical University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan

    Naoto Watanabe

Authors
  1. Kotaro Higashi
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  2. Yoshimichi Ueda
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  3. Miyako Shimasaki
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  4. Yasuhito Ishigaki
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  5. Yuka Nakamura
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  7. Tsutomu Takegami
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kotaro Higashi.

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Higashi, K., Ueda, Y., Shimasaki, M. et al. High FDG uptake on PET is associated with negative cell-to-cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin expression in lung adenocarcinoma. Ann Nucl Med 31, 590–595 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-017-1187-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12149-017-1187-y

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