The negative predictive value of FDG PET/CT staging in early oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and implications to transoral robotic surgery patient selection

Abstract

Objectives: Our objective was to determine the negative predictive value (NPV) of preoperative FDG PET/CT for detecting locoregional nodal disease. The aim was to help inform the decision-making process when identifying patients with early-stage OPSCC that would be suitable for transoral robotic surgery (TORS) as a single-modality treatment. Materials and methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of adults with primary stage cT1-2 OPSCC with up to one metastatic neck lymph node (cN0-1) planned for TORS. Patients with a preoperative PET/CT and who had undergone staging neck dissection (ND) were included. Clinical and pathological nodal staging was established based on PET/CT and ND,..