title: Whole-body 18F-FDG PET in recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
abstract: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the sensitivity and prognostic significance of whole-body (18)F-FDG PET for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients for whom there was a suspicion of recurrence or metastasis by conventional radiologic or clinical findings during their follow-up examinations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Whole-body (18)F-FDG PET examinations were performed on 64 Taiwanese NPC patients (14 female, 50 male; mean age +/- SD, 45.8 +/- 13.0 y; age range, 16-75 y) 4-70 mo (mean +/- SD, 14.1 +/- 13.5 mo) after radiotherapy or induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy from February 1997 to May 2001. The accuracy of (18)F-FDG PET detection for each patient was determined by the histopathologic results or other clinical evidence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of (18)F-FDG PET images in the diagnosis of NPC recurrence or metastases and secondary primary cancers were 92%, 90%, 92%, 90%, and 91%, respectively. Furthermore, the presence of (18)F-FDG hypermetabolism was highly correlated with the survival time of NPC patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Whole-body (18)F-FDG PET is a sensitive follow-up diagnostic tool for the evaluation of NPC recurrences and metastases. It is also an effective prognostic indicator for NPC patients. To determine the optimized utilization of (18)F-FDG PET in the follow-up for NPC patients, further cost-effectiveness analysis of (18)F-FDG PET in combination with conventional management is necessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 100, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ruoh-Fang
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: Ruey-Long
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Kai-Yuan
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Tzen
authors.forename: Mei-Hsiu
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Tony Hsiu-Hsi
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014915:Whole-Body Counting / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18