PET/CT and inflammatory mediators in systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease

作者：Andréa de Lima Bastos, Gilda Aparecida Ferreira, Marcelo Mamede, Eliane Viana Mancuzo, Mauro Martins Teixeira, Flávia Patrícia Sena Teixeira Santos, Cid Sérgio Ferreira, Ricardo de Amorim Corrêa · 发表于：Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.36416/1806-3756/e20210329 · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：Systemic Sclerosis and Related Diseases、Interstitial Lung Diseases and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis、Pulmonary Hypertension Research and Treatments

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation of HRCT findings with pulmonary metabolic activity in the corresponding regions using 18F-FDG PET/CT and inflammatory markers in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving 23 adult patients with SSc-associated ILD without other connective tissue diseases. The study also involved 18F-FDG PET/CT, HRCT, determination of serum chemokine levels, clinical data, and pulmonary function testing. RESULTS: In this cohort of patients with long-term disease (disease duration, 11.8 ± 8.7 years), a nonspecific interstitial pneumonia pattern was found in 19 (82.6%). Honeycombing areas had higher median standardized uptake values (1.95; p = 0.85). Serum levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1, soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 2, C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2), and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 were higher in SSc patients than in controls. Serum levels of CCL2-a marker of fibroblast activity-were correlated with pure ground-glass opacity (GGO) areas on HRCT scans (p = 0.007). 18F-FDG PET/CT showed significant metabolic activity for all HRCT patterns. The correlation between serum CCL2 levels and GGO on HRCT scans suggests a central role of fibroblasts in these areas, adding new information towards the understanding of the mechanisms surrounding cellular and molecular elements and their expression on HRCT scans in patients with SSc-associa...