EDIM-TKTL1 blood test: a noninvasive method to detect upregulated glucose metabolism in patients with malignancies

Abstract

Aim: To determine whether the TKTL1 protein epitope detection in monocytes (EDIM) test allows detection of upregulated glucose metabolism in malignancies. Materials & methods: The EDIM-TKTL1 blood test was conducted in 240 patients with 17 different confirmed or suspected malignancies. Test scores were compared with 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG)-PET/computed tomography (CT) results. Results: EDIM-TKTL1 score and FDG-PET results showed a concordance of 90% with a sensitivity of 94% and specificity of 81%. Including CT data, all values were enhanced. A subgroup analysis of non-small-cell lung cancer patients showed a significant correlation between the EDIM-TKTL1 score and the primary tumor size determined by FDG-PET/CT. Conclusion: EDIM-TKTL1 blood test revealed good concordance with FDG-PET/CT results in patients with malignancies demonstrating its efficacy to detect upregulation of glucose metabolism in primary tumors or metastases.