The role of PET/CT in the management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Purpose

To assess the role of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and to assess the impact of PET/CT on the clinical management.

Patients and methods

Sixty-three patients with pathologically proven head and neck squamous cell carcinoma had 83 PET/CT and CT examinations. The first group includes 45 examinations performed as a pre treatment staging for 45 patients. The second group includes 38 examinations performed for 18 patients who had previous treatment.

Results

In the first group, FDG–PET/CT yielded additional diagnostic information in 44.4% of patients, with subsequent modification of treatment strategy in 11.1% and implementation of further curative therapy in 6.6%. Based on the findings of PET/CT, modification of radiotherapy was performed in 24.6% of patients in this group. In the second group, PET/CT altered further clinical management in 18.4% patients and induced a change in the planned therapeutic approach in 23.6%.

Conclusion

PET/CT is an imaging modality with high diagnostic performance in the assessment of head and squamous cell carcinoma, and induced a significant change in the management of the study population.