Objective: This study investigated how fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake on PET in the primary tumor may predict intratumoral vessel invasion (IVI) in it.
Methods: A total of 512 patients with lung neoplasms determined by a surgical procedure and histopathological diagnosis had undergone FDG-PET scanning.
Results: Among the 440 cases confirmed to be malignant, the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV(max)) was significantly lower in IVI-negative cases than IVI-positive cases (P < 0.001). In the substudy on adenocarcinoma (AC), SUV(max) was significantly lower in IVI-negative cases too (P < 0.001), but SUV(max) in squamous cell carcinoma was without significant difference. In addition, IVI was associated with a significantly higher probability of lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001).
Conclusions: This study indicates that a malignant lung tumor with higher SUV(max) has a significantly higher probability of IVI and lymph node metastasis, particularly if the malignancy is an AC.