Immunohistochemical biomarkers and FDG uptake on PET/CT in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

TY - JOUR

T1 - Immunohistochemical biomarkers and FDG uptake on PET/CT in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

AU - Rasmussen, Gregers Brünnich

AU - Vogelius, Ivan R.

AU - Rasmussen, Jacob H

AU - Schumaker, Lisa

AU - Ioffe, Olga

AU - Cullen, Kevin

AU - Fischer, Barbara Malene

AU - Therkildsen, Marianne Hamilton

AU - Specht, Lena

AU - Bentzen, Søren M

PY - 2015/10/21

Y1 - 2015/10/21

N2 - Background. There is an exciting complementarity between the spatial resolution provided by molecular imaging of a single, often unspecific, biomarker on one hand and the more detailed biological profile achievable from a diagnostic biopsy using a panel of immunohistochemical (IHC) markers on the other. A number of previous studies have shown a relationship between glucose transport protein expression and 18F-Fludeoxyglucose (FDG) PET uptake. Here, FDG uptake is analyzed in relation to expression of a selected panel of IHC cancer biomarkers in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC).Material and methods. IHC staining for Bcl-2, β-tubulin-1 and 2, p53, EGFR, Ki-67, glutathione-S-transferase-π and p16 was performed on formalin-fixed paraffin embedded diagnostic biopsies from 102 HNSCC cases treated at Rigshospitalet during 2005-2009. The proportion of positive cells was used for analyses, except p16, which was scored according to EORTC guidelines. In all cases, maximal FDG standardized uptake value (SUV) metrics were extracted for the primary tumor, TSUVmax. Univariate linear regression and multiple linear regression of TSUVmax versus IHC markers were performed.Results. In univariate analyses, TSUVmax showed negative associations with Bcl-2 (p = 0.002) and p16 (p = 0.005) indices and positive association with β-tubulin-1 index (p = 0.003). On multivariate analysis, TSUVmax remained associated with β-tubulin-1 (p = 0.009), Bcl-2 (p = 0.03) and p16 (p = 0.03). All correlations had r-squared < 0.3.Conclusion. Statistically significant correlations were observed between the expression of IHC biomarkers and maximum FDG uptake in the primary tumor.

AB - Background. There is an exciting complementarity between the spatial resolution provided by molecular imaging of a single, often unspecific, biomarker on one hand and the more detailed biological profile achievable from a diagnostic biopsy using a panel of immunohistochemical (IHC) markers on the other. A number of previous studies have shown a relationship between glucose transport protein expression and 18F-Fludeoxyglucose (FDG) PET uptake. Here, FDG uptake is analyzed in relation to expression of a selected panel of IHC cancer biomarkers in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC).Material and methods. IHC staining for Bcl-2, β-tubulin-1 and 2, p53, EGFR, Ki-67, glutathione-S-transferase-π and p16 was performed on formalin-fixed paraffin embedded diagnostic biopsies from 102 HNSCC cases treated at Rigshospitalet during 2005-2009. The proportion of positive cells was used for analyses, except p16, which was scored according to EORTC guidelines. In all cases, maximal FDG standardized uptake value (SUV) metrics were extracted for the primary tumor, TSUVmax. Univariate linear regression and multiple linear regression of TSUVmax versus IHC markers were performed.Results. In univariate analyses, TSUVmax showed negative associations with Bcl-2 (p = 0.002) and p16 (p = 0.005) indices and positive association with β-tubulin-1 index (p = 0.003). On multivariate analysis, TSUVmax remained associated with β-tubulin-1 (p = 0.009), Bcl-2 (p = 0.03) and p16 (p = 0.03). All correlations had r-squared < 0.3.Conclusion. Statistically significant correlations were observed between the expression of IHC biomarkers and maximum FDG uptake in the primary tumor.

KW - Biomarkers, Tumor

KW - Carcinoma, Squamous Cell

KW - Fluorodeoxyglucose F18

KW - Glutathione Transferase

KW - Head and Neck Neoplasms

KW - Humans

KW - Immunohistochemistry

KW - Ki-67 Antigen

KW - Multimodal Imaging

KW - Multivariate Analysis

KW - Neoplasm Proteins

KW - Positron-Emission Tomography

KW - Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2

KW - Radiopharmaceuticals

KW - Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor

KW - Tomography, X-Ray Computed

KW - Tubulin

KW - Tumor Suppressor Protein p53

U2 - 10.3109/0284186X.2015.1062539

DO - 10.3109/0284186X.2015.1062539

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 26256482

SN - 0284-186X

VL - 54

SP - 1408

EP - 1415

JO - Acta Oncologica

JF - Acta Oncologica

IS - 9

ER -