Early assessment of clinical response to concurrent chemoradiotherapy in head and neck carcinoma using fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to assess the utility of FDG-PET in the evaluation of therapeutic effects at 4 weeks after the completion of the concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCR) in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).


METHODS
Thirty-one patients with previously untreated HNSCC were retrospectively investigated about FDG-PET, CT, MRI and biopsies of the carcinoma before and 4 weeks after the treatment.


RESULTS
The results of pathological examinations after CCR showed 6 residual cases and 25 ones with a pathologically complete response (pCR). The specificity of FDG-PET was 80%, although the sensitivity was limited to 67%.


CONCLUSIONS
FDG-PET has a high specificity but limited sensitivity to discriminate residual cancer from fibrosis or scar at 4 weeks after CCR. FDG-PET at 4 weeks after CCR was too early to perform because of limited sensitivity.
Horiuchi
Choichi
C
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan. horiuchi@med.yokohama-cu.ac.jp
Taguchi
Takahide
T
Yoshida
Takafumi
T
Nishimura
Goshi
G
Kawakami
Mariko
M
Tanigaki
Yuji
Y
Matsuda
Hideki
H
Mikami
Yasukazu
Y
Oka
Takashi
T
Inoue
Tomio
T
Tsukuda
Mamoru
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001706:Biopsy; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D010039:Otorhinolaryngologic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome