Partial volume corrected 18F-FDG PET mean standardized uptake value correlates with prognostic factors in breast cancer

Aim. The aim of this paper was to assess the prognostic role of pretherapy partial volume corrected (PVC) 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose mean standardized uptake value (SUIT) in breast cancer (BC). Methods. Forty oncological patients, BC diagnosed by biopsy, with breast tumor mass diameter >1 cm measured to the mammography, designed for surgical intervention, underwent a pretherapy semi-quantitative 18F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-18-FDG PET/CT) whole-body study for tumor staging. Mean Body-Weight Standardized Uptake Value with Correction for Partial Volume effect (PVC- SUVBW-mean) was calculated in all mammary detected lesions. Excised tissues from primitive BC were sectioned and classified according to the WHO guidelines, evaluating biological features. Univariate (Mann-Withney/Kruskal-Wallis) and multivariate (linear regression, hierarchical clustering) statistical tests were performed between PVC-SUVBw-mean and biological indexes. ROC analysis was performed. PVC-SUVBW-mean thresholds were derived allowing to distinguish groups of BC patients with different biological characteristics. Specificity and Sensitivity were also calculated. Results. Statistical and multiple correlations between pretherapy F-18-FDG PET PVC-SUVBw-mean, and histological type, grade, ER/PgR hormone receptors and Mib-1 cellular proliferation index were found. In our samples, PVC-SUVBW-mean <approximate to 4 g/cc was found correlated to BC patients with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) or well differentiated Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC), a positive expression of ER and PgR and a negative expression of MiB-1, while PVC-SUVBW-mean >approximate to 7.00 is associated to BC patients with moderately and poorly differentiated IDC, negative expression of ER and PgR and a positive expression of MiB-1. Conclusion. Pretherapy PVC F-18-FDG PET PVC-SUVBw-mean measurement correlates with prognostic factors in BC and could be used to stratify patients before intervention.