title: [Current applications and future developments of positron emission tomography in head and neck cancer].
abstract: Positron emission tomography (PET-scan) is a well-established imaging modality in oncology. Using FDG, PET has also a wide range of applications in head and neck tumors for diagnosis, staging, monitoring of response to therapy, and detection of relapse. After a short technical introduction, the current indications of PET-FDG in head and neck tumors are reviewed. Present and future developments of PET are twofold: the use of new tracers for protein synthesis, cellular proliferation or detection of hypoxia etc., and the introduction of metabolic imaging as a adjunct to CT and MRI to determine target-volumes in radiation treatment planning. However, it has to be emphasized that a thorough clinical validation of the methods used is mandatory before their implementation in routine practice.
authors.affiliation: Service de médecine nucléaire, clinique de cancérologie cervicomaxillofaciale, cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, UCL, 10, avenue Hippocrate, 1200 Bruxelles, Belgique. max.lonneux@mnuc.ucl.ac.be
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lonneux
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011379:Prognosis; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18