Correlations of 18F-FDG and 18F-FLT uptake on PET with Ki-67 expression in patients with lung cancer: a meta-analysis

BackgroundPositron emission tomography (PET) imaging using the radiotracers 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) or 18F-fluorothymidine (FLT) has been proposed as imaging biomarkers of cell proliferation.PurposeTo explore the correlations of FDG and FLT uptake with the Ki-67 labeling index in patients with lung cancer.Material and MethodsMajor databases were systematically searched for all relevant literature published in English. The correlation coefficient (rho) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) of individual studies were meta-analyzed using a random-effects model. The sources of heterogeneity were explored by subgroup analyses.ResultsTwenty-seven articles involving 1213 patients were included in this meta-analysis, comprising 22 studies for FDG uptake/Ki-67 expression correlation and eight for FLT uptake/Ki-67 expression correlation. The pooled rho values for 18F-FDG/Ki-67 correlation and 18F-FLT/Ki-67 correlation were 0.45 (95% CI, 0.41–0.50) and 0.65 (95% CI, 0.56–0.73), respectively, which indicated a mo...