18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography and the relationship between fluorodeoxyglucose uptake and the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 , glucose transporter-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor in thymic epithelial tumours

Abstract

FDG-PET/CT should be performed in patients with tumours in the anterior mediastinum because the pattern of FDG uptake and SUVmax are useful in the differential diagnosis of thymic epithelial tumours. Furthermore, the expressions of HIF-1α, Glut-1 and VEGF might be associated with malignancy of thymic epithelial tumours. In contrast, FDG uptake might be dependent on tumour size rather than Glut-1 overexpression.