Association of 18 F- fluorodeoxyglucose uptake with the expression of metabolism-related molecules in papillary thyroid cancer

F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography ( F-FDG-PET/CT) is a diagnostic imaging method that is based on the Warburg effect, which is the increased uptake of glucose through aerobic glycolysis in cancer cells. The diagnostic value of F-FDG-PET/CT for thyroid cancer is controversial. However, uptake of F-FDG and the corresponding maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) is expected to reflect the metabolic status of cancer cells. In the present study, we sought to determine the relationship between F-FDG uptake and tumor metabolism- associated factors. This was a single-center retrospective study. In the present study, SUVmax was compared with the expression of hexokinase 2 (HK2), glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and glutaminase 1 (GLS1) in 41 patients with thyroid cancer. GLS1 expression was found to be moderately correlated with SUVmax (p < 0.001, r = 0.51), whereas HK2 and VEGF expression were weakly correlated (p = 0.011, r = 0.28, p = 0.008, r = 0.29, respectively) and GLUT1 did not correlate with SUVmax (p = 0.62, r = 0.06). Our findings suggest F-FDG PET/CT reflects GLS1 expression in thyroid cancer and could be used to select suitable candidates for GLS1 inhibitor treatment.