Background: We analyzed the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with integrated computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) and expressions of glucose metabolism regulatory proteins in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC),and aimed to confirm the quantitative relationship between SUVmax and glucose metabolism.Methods: From November 2017 to November 2019, 30 patients with EOC in the study group and 30 women without ovary disease in the control group underwent PET / CT examination. SUVmax of primary and metastatic lesions of each patient before initial treatment, and that of normal ovaries of each woman were measured. The SUVmax of primary EOC lesions, metastatic EOC lesions and normal ovaries were compared. The expressions of glucose metabolism regulatory proteins, containing glucose transporter 1 (Glut1), c-Myc, p53, Ki-67 and hypoxia-inhibitory factor-1α (HIF-1α) were tested by immunohistochemistry in primary and metastatic tissues of the study group. The correlation between SUVmax and the expression levels of glucose metabolism regulatory proteins was analyzed.Results: The SUVmax of primary EOC lesions was the highest (16.61±7.70), followed by metastatic EOC lesions (9.13±5.43), and that of normal ovaries was the lowest (19.40±2.14) among three different tissues (P < 0.0001). SUVmax of primary EOC lesions showed no correlation with age, tumor differentiation, clinical stage and histopathological subtype in the study group (p>0.05). The expressions of Glut1, p53 and c-Myc in primary lesions were higher than those in metastatic lesions (P=0.002,0.23,0.022, respectively). SUVmax was only correlated with expression of Glut1 in primary and metastatic EOC lesions (correlation coefficients 0.474 and 0.469, respectively; both p<0.05).Conclusion: High levels of SUVmax can reflect the active glucose metabolism of primary and metastatic lesions in EOC. Glut1 is a glucose metabolism regulatory protein closely related to SUVmax in EOC.
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