[Value of 18F-FETNIM PET-CT for detection of tumor hypoxia in non-small-cell lung cancer].

Objective To assess the feasibility of [18F ] fluoroerythronitroimidazole （18F-FETNIM ） with integrated positron emission tomography and computed tomography （PET-CT） imaging in detection of hypoxia in non-small-cell lung cancer （ NSCLC） patients. Methods Forty-two patients with newly diagnosed NSCLC underwent 18F-FETNIM PET-CT before treatment. Nineteen patients rested for approximately 120 minutes before undergoing PET-CT,23 patients underwent 2 sequential PET-CT scans at 60 minutes and 120 minutes after intravenous injection 18F-FETNIM. 18F-FETNIM uptake was quantified by calculating the maximum standardized uptake value in the tumor （SUVmax-T） and contralateral normal lung tissue （SUVmax-N）. Regions of interest （ROIs） were drawn in the tumor and contralateral position and the radioactivity ratio of tumor to normal （T/N） was calculated.Results SUVmax-T （ 2. 43 ± 1. 34） was significantly higher than SUVmax-N （0.87 ±0.46, P〈0.001） at 120 min. SUVmax-T （2. 80 ± 1.09） and SUVmax-N （1. 16 ± 0. 56） at 60 min were significantly higher than SUVmax-T （2. 61 ± 1. 10） and SUVmax-N （P〈0.01） at 120 min. T/N （2.56 ± 0.71） at 60 min was higher than that at 120 min （2.48 ± 0.60）,but the difference between them was not significant （P =0.324）. Conclusion Our results indicate that 18F-FETNIM PET-CT may be a useful tool for evaluating hypoxia and may be a means to target specifically tumor cells resistant to conventional treatment before and during ongoing therapy in NSCLC. Key words: Radioactive tracers;  PET;  CT;  Carcinoma, non-small cell lung;  Hypoxia