The completion of nine large genome-wide association studies [8, 9] introduced single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as risk factors for BC disease [10]. Despite considerable progress, their commercial exploitation in clinical applications remains controversial [11, 12]. In addition, the potential functional influence of specific SNPs on tracer PET uptake needs further investigations in human cancer diseases. Indeed, the first study demonstrating an association between a human SNP (rs3025039 of the Vascular Endothelial

Growth Factor A, abbreviated as VEGFA) and FDG uptake in BC, has included a restricted number of 37 ductal BC patients without metastases [13]. Although, the possible correlation between gene polymorphisms and FDG uptake Selleckchem eFT508 is considered an innovative and interesting example of translational medicine approach, where information from multiple sources are combined aiming to a more personalized care, the number of scientific papers is still limited [13–18]. Nowadays, candidate targets used for these studies are polymorphisms in

the GLUcose Transporter 1 gene (GLUT1 also known as SLC2A1) and the following three hypoxia-related genes: Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1alpha (HIF-1a), VEGFA and apurinic/apyrimidinic APEX nuclease 1 (APEX1) [13–18]. GLUT family members are often over-expressed in most human malignancies [19] and are involved in tumour initiation and progression. However, they are Ulixertinib in vivo already present in the respective non-cancerous tissue of origin. The class I transporters (GLUT1), and to a much less extent GLUT3, are the most frequently over-expressed genes in cancer cells. Their over-expression positively correlates with several adverse tumour characteristics and PET uptake in BC [20] and various other malignancies [21–23]. Regarding the role of GLUT1 on PET imaging, only two authors have shown that rs841853and rs710218

GLUT1 SNPs influence tracer PET uptake [14, 15]. These two SNPs were considered to be able to determine variations on the behaviour of the glucose transporter in various human diseases, such as diabetic nephropathy and clear-cell renal carcinoma [24, 25], where a high significant allele frequency in the population investigated was found, suggesting AZD9291 their potential clinical application. The rs841853 SNP is located in a non-protein coding region (IACS-10759 mouse intron 2 of the GLUT1 gene) and seems to have a role in recruiting glucose over the membrane, accelerating growth cell rate. The rs710218 SNP is positioned in the promoter region of the GLUT1 gene adjacent to a putative HIF-1a binding site [26]. HIF-1a controls oxygen delivery and metabolic adaptation to hypoxia via angiogenesis and glycolysis, respectively and it also regulates, under hypoxic conditions, the expression of genes, like the GLUT1 gene.