FDG PET studies during treatment: prediction of therapy outcome in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
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.
Brun
Eva
E
Department of Oncology, Lund University Hospital, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden. eva.brun@onk.lu.se
Kjellén
Elisabeth
E
Tennvall
Jan
J
Ohlsson
Tomas
T
Sandell
Anders
A
Perfekt
Roland
R
Perfekt
Roland
R
Wennerberg
Johan
J
Strand
Sven Erik
SE
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
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18