Clinical impact of, and prognostic stratification by, F-18 FDG PET/CT in head and neck mucosal squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Background. The aim of this study was to determine prospectively the incremental value of positron emission tomography/ computed tomography (PET/CT) over conventional assessment (clinical examination and CT/MRI imaging). Methods. All patients undergoing 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET/CT for primary head and neck mucosal squamous cell carcinoma between January 2002 and December 2003 (inclusive) were included in this study provided they had undergone contemporaneous conventional assessment of the head and neck region and had 12 months minimum follow-up. Results. Seventy-six patients underwent 100 PET/CT scans. The majority of patients (74%) were treated with definitive (chemo)-radiotherapy. ..