Does 18fluoro-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography improve recurrence detection in patients treated for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with negative clinical follow-up?

✍ Scribed by Pierre Y. Salaun; Ronan Abgral; Solène Querellou; Olivier Couturier; Gérald Valette; Yves Bizais; Françoise Kraeber-Bodéré

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 126 KB
• Volume: 29
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1043-3074
• DOI: 10.1002/hed.20645

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Background.

The aim of this study was to determine the benefits of ^18^fluoro‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (^18^F‐FDG PET) in the detection of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) recurrence in patients with negative clinical follow‐up.

Methods.

Whole‐body ^18^FDG‐PET was performed in 30 patients treated for HNSCC without any clinical element for recurrence.

Results.

Twenty‐one negative PET and 9 positive results were seen. One patient with abnormal ^18^F‐FDG uptake in the laryngeal area did not have recurrent HNSCC (false positive). Eight had proven recurrence. The sensitivity and specificity of ^18^F‐FDG PET for the diagnosis of HNSCC recurrence were 100% (8/8) and 95% (21/22), respectively. The positive predictive value was 89% (8/9). The negative predictive value was 100% (21/21). The overall accuracy was 97% (29/30).

Conclusion.

The results of our study confirm the high effectiveness of ^18^F‐FDG PET in assessment of HNSCC recurrence and suggest that it is more accurate than conventional physical examination follow‐up alone. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 2007