Background: Positron emission tomography imaging of lung cancers with 2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose is a non-invasive diagnostic, and prognostic tool that measures tumor metabolism. We have analyzed the effect of solute carrier family 2 (facilitated glucose transporter), member 1 polymorphisms on 2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-uptake with a combination of polymorphisms of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha, apurinic/apyimidinic endonuclease, and vascular endothelial growth factor A in a hypoxia-related pathway.
Methods: We investigated the association between solute carrier family 2 (facilitated glucose transporter), member 1 -2841A>T, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha Pro582Ser, Ala588Thr, apurinic/apyimidinic endonuclease Asp148Glu, or vascular endothelial growth factor A +936C>T and 2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-uptake among 154 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
Results: The solute carrier family 2 (facilitated glucose transporter), member 1 -2841A>T polymorphism was significantly associated with 2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-uptake in combination with the apurinic/apyimidinic endonuclease Asp148Glu (T>G) polymorphism in the squamous cell type of non-small-cell lung cancer. The solute carrier family 2 (facilitated glucose transporter), member 1 TT genotype had a higher maximum standardized uptake values than the AA + AT genotype when the apurinic/apyimidinic endonuclease genotype was TT (mean maximum standardized uptake values, 12.47 +/- 1.33 versus 8.46 +/- 2.90, respectively; P = 0.028). The mean maximum standardized uptake values were not statistically different with respect to vascular endothelial growth factor A and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha polymorphisms.
Conclusion: A glucose transporter gene polymorphism was shown to be statistically associated with glucose-uptake when the apurinic/apyimidinic endonuclease genotype is TT in patients with the squamous cell type of non-small-cell lung cancer. Our findings suggest that a newly developed tracer for positron emission tomography could be affected by genetic polymorphisms.