Functional imaging of head and neck tumors using positron emission tomography.
Positron emission tomography (PET) is an imaging modality that generates in vivo maps of tissue radioactivity originating from a labelled substrate of glucose metabolism: 18-fluorine labelled deoxy-glucose (FDG). This study was undertaken to evaluate PET in the detection of head and neck malignancies, and to determine its effectiveness in diagnosing recurrent cancer in operated or irradiated fields. PET revealed that each biopsy-proven tumour is an area of increased radioactivity. Tumour radioactivity ranged from 130% to 300% above that of the cerebellum, and up to 650% above the contralateral, normal side. By basing the maps on tissue metabolic function, PET proved capable of distinguishing tumour (increased radioactivity) from scar tissue (reduced radioactivity). Its application may facilitate the diagnosis of recurrent tumours amid the fibrosis and distortion of normal architecture in operated, irradiated fields.
Department of Otolaryngology, McGill University, PQ, Canada.
A G
AG
Zeitouni
Y L
YL
Yamamoto
M
M
Black
A
A
Gjedde
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000532:radiotherapy; D009336:Necrosis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014067:Tonsillar Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery
D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D003847:Deoxyglucose