Relationship Between FDG Uptake and the Platelet/lymphocyte Ratio in Patients With Breast Invasive Ductal Cancer

Background/Aim: We investigated the relationship between F18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake and the platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), as both represent inflammation. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the cases of 143 consecutive invasive ductal carcinoma patients who had undergone preoperative FDG-PET and surgery. We divided the patients into groups based on their maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) values: low (<2.5) and high (>= 2.5) and based on their PLRs: low (<130) and high (>= 130). We determined the relationships between the SUVmax or PLR and clinicopathological features. Results: Seventy-three patients (51.0%) had a high SUVmax in their primary tumor. There were significant associations between SUVmax and the PLR. A multivariate analysis revealed that high PLR, but not NLR, was independent factor associated with a high SUVmax. Seventy-four patients (51.7%) had a high PLR; The factors significantly associated with high PLR were large tumor size, presence of node metastasis, presence of vascular invasion, high NLR, and high SUVmax. Conclusion: In breast cancer patients, the PLR is independently associated with the SUVmax, but not with recurrent disease. In breast cancer patients with a high SUVmax and/or PLR, these values may reflect the tumor microenvironment.