title: FDG PET studies during treatment: prediction of therapy outcome in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Positron emission tomography (PET) provides metabolic information of tissues in vivo. The purpose of this study was to assess the value of PET with 2-[(18) F] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) in prediction of therapy outcome (tumor response, survival, and locoregional control) in locally advanced HNSCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1993 and 1999 47 patients underwent PET before (PET(1)) and after (PET(2)) 1 to 3 weeks of radical treatment with evaluation of metabolic rate (MR) and standardized uptake value (SUV) of FDG. All patients received radiotherapy, and 10 also received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Median follow-up time was 3.3 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Low and high MR FDG at PET(2), with median value as cutoff, was associated with complete remission in 96% and 62% (p =.007), with 5-year overall survival in 72% and 35% (p =.0042) and with local control in 96% and 55% (p =.002), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FDG PET in the early phase of treatment of HNSCC is associated with tumor response, survival, and local control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Lund University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden. eva.brun@onk.lu.se
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brun
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kjellén
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tennvall
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohlsson
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sandell
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perfekt
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perfekt
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wennerberg
authors.forename: Sven Erik
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Strand
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D015996:Survival Rate; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18