[The value of chest CT-scanning for staging of progressed or recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC)].
OBJECTIVE
At time of diagnosis, up to 17 % of HNSCC present with distant metastasis or a second primary tumour. Distant metastases of these tumours most commonly occur in the lung, requiring a particularly precise evaluation of this organ within the staging process. It was the aim of this study to compare the radiological findings of plain chest X-rays with the results of CT-scans of the chest in regard to their sensitivity for metastasis detection.


METHODS
The staging examinations of 47 patients (f: 13, m: 34, mean age: 61.6 y) with progressed (T3, T4, N+) or recurrent HNSCC were prospectively analysed and results of chest X-rays as well as CT-scans of the chest compared.


RESULTS
Only one plain chest X-ray showed a possible metastasis, which was excluded by the following CT-scan. In none of the other 46 patients did X-ray reveal findings of metastatic disease or second primary tumours. CT-scans of the chest showed tumorous lesions in 8/47 (17 %) patients. Three of these tumours were confirmed as neoplastic by biopsy, in another case radiological signs and clinical symptoms permitted definite assumption of malignancy (4/47 : 8.5 %). Histologically, only one of the latter four tumours could be identified as metastatic. In the remaining three cases we found second primary tumours. A follow up CT-scan of one of the remaining four cases showed normal results. In 3 cases the aetiology of the CT-findings remained unclear.


CONCLUSIONS
Cervical lymph node metastases, tumour-size and recurrence of HNSCC are known risk factors for metastatic disease in HNSCC. Chest X-ray as staging procedure in patients with progressed or recurrent HNSCC may not be able to identify metastases or a second primary tumour of the lung. We therefore recommend a CT-scan of the chest as a routine procedure in such patients to optimise the pre-operative staging.
Tesche
S
S
Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde des Universitätsklinikums Hamburg-Eppendorf. stesche@t-online.de
Habermann
C R
CR
Sagowski
C
C
Wenzel
S
S
Metternich
F U
FU
D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed