Relationship between SUVmax in F-18 FDG PET/CT and serum YKL-40 levels in Breast Cancer

Abstract

This investigation aimed to study the differences in tumor maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) in breast cancer patients and compare serum levels of YKL-40, an inflammatory glycoprotein found at high levels in patients with different types of cancer, with healthy controls. Fifty-one women who underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging for the staging of pathologically-confirmed breast cancer were included. The tumor SUVmax of each patient was calculated by 18F-FDG PET/CT. Serum YKL-40, ischemia modified albumin (IMA), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and cancer antigen 15-3 (CA15-3) levels were assessed after the PET/CT imaging. A group of 38 healthy women were included as controls, from which serum YKL-40 and IMA levels were obtained. Compared to healthy subjects, serum YKL-40 and IMA levels were significantly higher in patients with breast cancer (p0.05). Our results indicate that serum IMA and YKL-40 levels were above average in breast cancer patients. Also, increasing SUVmax and serum YKL-40 levels may be separately observed related to tumor size. YKL-40 and SUVmax may be utilized in the evaluation and follow-up of breast cancer.