{
  "abstract": "Background/Objectives: Pneumocystis jirovecii colonization induces persistent low-grade pulmonary inflammation, which may alter fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). We aimed to evaluate whether asymptomatic infection influences the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) or clinicopathological parameters of primary lung cancer. Methods: In this prospective single-center observational study, 107 consecutive patients undergoing surgical resection for primary lung cancer were enrolled. Preoperative FDG PET/CT scans were obtained within four weeks prior to surgery. Intraoperative respiratory secretions and lung tissue samples were analyzed for P. jirovecii, using nested polymerase chain reaction (nested-PCR) targeting the mitochondrial large subunit rRNA gene. Propensity score matching (PSM) adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index was performed across 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 matching models. Results: Pneumocystis jirovecii colonization was confirmed in 12 of 107 patients (11.21%). In the unadjusted cohort, no significant differences in primary lesion SUVmax were identified between positive and negative patients (10.38 ± 6.50 vs. 8.86 ± 6.58, p = 0.411), nor across matched models (1:1: p = 0.555; 1:2: p = 0.951; 1:3: p = 0.926). Following PSM, patients without colonization exhibited significantly larger maximum tumor diameters in both 1:2 (30.71 ± 19.23 vs. 18.25 ± 6.63 mm, p = 0.035) and 1:3 matching models (29.08 ± 17.47 vs. 18.25 ± 6.63 mm, p = 0.035). Conclusions: We did not find any association between P. jirovecii colonization and preoperative metabolic tumor staging on FDG PET/CT. However, asymptomatic carriage was associated with smaller primary tumor dimensions following propensity adjustment in 1:2 and 1:3 matching models, warranting further exploration of host–fungal interactions within the pulmonary tumor microenvironment.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Surgery, 4th Military Clinical Hospital, 50-981 Wroclaw, Poland",
    "Student Research Club No. 180, Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland",
    "Department ofBiology and Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland",
    "Division of Clinical Pathology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland",
    "Department of Clinical Surgical Sciences, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-376 Wroclaw, Poland"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Maciej Nowicki"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ignacy Ilski",
      "orcid": "0009-0006-5130-2182"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jan Żywica"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Igor Szczurek",
      "orcid": "0009-0008-4723-1814"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Magdalena Szydłowicz",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5649-604X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Błażej Łukianowski"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Mariusz Chabowski",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9232-4525"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cf3qmdjj4qazq.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/cancers18203274",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13702307/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "cf3qmdjj4qazq",
  "issns": [
    "2072-6694"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/18/20/3274",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2713|Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatment"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221513387",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13702307/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13702307",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cf3qmdjj4qazq.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:58Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/cancers18203274",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/18/20/3274"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:31Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13702307",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13702307"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2713|Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatment",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Is PET/CT Useful in Detecting Pneumocystis jirovecii Colonization in Patients with Primary Lung Cancer?",
  "title_text": "Is PET/CT Useful in Detecting Pneumocystis jirovecii Colonization in Patients with Primary Lung Cancer?",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:21:31Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cf3qmdjj4qazq",
  "venue": "Cancers",
  "versions": []
}