Our report of AKT overexpression and phosphorylation in tumour is supported by numerous previous studies in NSCLC, with high AKT and phospho-AKT expression generally associated with poor prognosis.17, 21, 43 AKT is also known to be a central player in cell metabolism and drives glycolytic activity in human tumours.44 We detected a correlation between AKT expression and FDG-PET signal in the tumours but not emphysema. This evidence concerns the gene AKT1 and neoplasm.