CT surveillance of the thorax in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a preliminary experience.
OBJECTIVE
Our goal was to determine the number of malignancies detected by thoracic CT in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) in three clinical settings.


METHODS
We retrospectively examined 168 thorax CT scans in 93 patients with head and neck SCCA and determined the number of malignancies (second primary cancers or metastasis) (a) at the time of diagnosis of the primary neck tumor (57 patients), (b) at approximately yearly intervals following treatment of the primary cancer (93 examinations in 43 patients), and (c) at the time of local/regional recurrence of the neck neoplasm (18 patients).


RESULTS
CT detected malignancy in 9 of 57 patients examined during diagnosis of the neck tumor, in 9 of 43 patients during follow-up, and in 6 of 18 patients evaluated at the time of local/regional neck recurrence.


CONCLUSIONS
Chest CT demonstrates a high number of additional malignancies in patients presenting with advanced SCCA of the head and neck.
Mercader
V P
VP
Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA.
Gatenby
R A
RA
Mohr
R M
RM
Fisher
M S
MS
Caroline
D F
DF
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed