• Wardah Ashfaq, Khurram Rehman, Abubaker Shahid, and Muhammad Numair Younis.
• Department of Nuclear Medicine, INMOL Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan.
• J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. 2024 Apr 1; 34 (4): 394399394-399.

ObjectiveTo ascertain the utility of maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax) in 18F-FDG PET-CT in predicting metastatic disease burden in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.Study DesignDescriptive study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET-CT Imaging, Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Oncology (INMOL), Lahore, Pakistan, from April to October 2022.Methodology18F-FDG PET-CT data of 87 patients were analysed prospectively. Patients were considered regardless of resection status. The SUVmax measurements were performed, and their association with metastases was determined. Molecular docking studies were conducted to determine a mechanism behind the higher SUVmax at the metastatic sites.ResultsA higher number of patients (49) was found to have metastasis (1 to 5 in numbers) and demonstrated higher SUVmax, especially in cases of pre-surgery and post-transplant state. A positive correlation existed between SUVmax of pre-surgery (r = 0.419, p = 0.001) and post-transplant patients (r = 0.779, p = 0.001). Molecular docking studies revealed a strong binding affinity (-5.18± 0.25 kcal/mol) between the hexokinase (HK-II) and 18F-FDG.ConclusionSUVmax positively correlated with metastatic tumour burden. The strong binding affinity between the HK-II and 18F-FDG may be the reason. 18F-FDG PET-CT appeared beneficial in providing prognostic information for HCC in a selected group.Key WordsHepatocellular carcinoma, 18F-FDG, Positron emission tomography, Maximum standardised uptake value, SUVmax, HK-II binding, PET-CT, Metastases.

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