The relationship of PET/CT SUVmax with EGFR mutation status and ALK rearrangement in lung adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVEEpidermal growth factor receptor mutations (EGFRm) and rearrangement of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene (ALKr) can be targeted for precision therapy in lung adenocarcinoma (LADC). As molecular profiling is not available for all, patient stratification can be achieved using non-invasive and economic tools, such as positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). We aimed to evaluate the relationships between fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of primary tumors (pSUVmax) and lymph nodes (nSUVmax) and the EGFRm and ALKr status in a large series of Turkish LADC patients. MATERIAL AND METHODSIn this retrospective study, medical records of histopathologically confirmed LADC patients were reviewed for demographic and clinical data. The 18F-FDG PET/CT pSUVmax nSUVmax were calculated and analyzed for their relationships with EGFRm and ALKr using multiple regression analysis. RESULTSThe study population consisted of 732 LADC patients with a mean age of 63±10 years. The frequencies of EGFRm and ALKr were 10.4% and 3.6%, respectively. Female gender, being a former- or never-smoker for EGFRm and age for ALKr were determined as independent risk factors (P0.05). CONCLUSIONWe conclude that 18F-FDG PET/CT semi-quantitative parameter SUVmax could not be validated for the prediction of the EGFRm or the ALKr in our large series of 732 Turkish patients with LADC.