Abstract
1600
Objectives: Recent investigations into the multifactorial natures of cancer and atherosclerosis suggest a closer relationship between these chronic diseases than previously believed. Processes common to the progression of both diseases include dysregulated cell proliferation, oxidative stress, genetic changes, and inflammation. 18F-sodium fluoride (NaF) as a PET tracer can be used to detect osteoblastic changes in skeletal metastases as well as active calcification in atherosclerotic lesions. The aim of this study was to assess coronary calcification by global quantification with NaF-PET/CT in prostate cancer patients compared to healthy control subjects.
Methods: Retrospective NaF-PET/CT data from 34 patients with prostate cancer and 34 healthy control subjects were analyzed. For each axial PET/CT slice, a manual region of interest (ROI) was delineated around the cardiac silhouette, avoiding cardiac valves and thoracic vertebrae. The SUVmean of all the ROIs were averaged to obtain the global coronary SUVmean. Target-to-background ratio (TBR) was determined as the global coronary SUVmean divided by blood pool activity measured in the superior vena cava lumen. The two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare global coronary SUVmean and TBR of prostate cancer patients and controls.
Results: In prostate cancer patients, the average global coronary SUVmean was 1.04 (range: 0.32-1.81), and the average TBR was 0.93 (range: 0.44-1.48). In control subjects, the average global coronary SUVmean was 0.62 (range: 0.35-1.05), and the average TBR was 0.60 (range: 0.41-0.88). A significant difference between prostate cancer patients and healthy control subjects was observed in both global SUVmean and TBR (both p<0.001).
Conclusions: The differences in global coronary artery calcification assessed by NaF-PET/CT support the hypothesis that cancer patients may be predisposed to developing atherosclerosis. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to investigate the relationship between these often comorbid conditions with NaF-PET/CT quantification.