title: Diagnostic value of 123I-IMT SPECT in the follow-up of head and neck cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nuclear medicine imaging is increasingly used in the evaluation of tumors of the head and neck. In the current study, we assess the value of single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) using the amino acid tracer L-3-[123I]iodine-alpha-methyl-tyrosine (IMT) for the detection of recurrent head and neck cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  45 consecutive patients with suspected recurrence of previously treated head and neck cancer were examined by IMT-SPECT using a dual head system with integrated low-dose computed tomography (CT). The accuracy of the IMT-SPECT was evaluated by correlating the findings with results of histology or clinical and CT/MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) follow-up examinations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of IMT-SPECT in the detection of recurrent/persistent tumors were 83, 89 and 84.5%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive value amounted to 96.5 and 60%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IMT-SPECT using integrated low-dose CT appears to be a helpful complementary imaging tool for the detection of local recurrences and lymph node metastases of head and neck cancer and their differentiation from treatment-induced changes. The advantage of the method is the high positive predictive value in the diagnosis of relapsed tumors. However, a negative IMT-SPECT result does not exclude a recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiooncology, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany. michail.plotkin@charite.de
authors.forename: Michail
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plotkin
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wurm
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kuczer
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wust
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: Timm
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Denecke
authors.forename: Juri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruf
authors.forename: Lorenz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schlenger
authors.forename: Annet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bischoff
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Felix
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Amthauer
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008781:Methyltyrosines; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011379:Prognosis; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D008781:Methyltyrosines; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C030855:3-iodo-alpha-methyltyrosine