Correlation of positron emission tomography standard uptake value and pathologic specimen size in cancer of the head and neck.
OBJECTIVE
To correlate positron emission tomography (PET) standard uptake value (SUV) with pathologic specimen size in patients with head-and-neck cancers.


METHODS
Eighteen patients with Stage II-IVB head-and-neck cancer with 27 tumors who underwent PET and computed tomography (CT) imaging of the head and neck followed by surgical resection were selected for this study. Various SUV thresholds were examined, including the software default (SUV(def)), narrowing the window by 1 standard deviation (SD) of the maximum (SUV-1SD), and SUV cutoff values of 2.5 or greater (SUV2.5) and 40% or greater maximum (SUV40). Volumetric pathologic data were available for 12 patients. Tumor volumes based on pathologic examination (gold standard), CT, SUV(def), SUV-1SD, SUV2.5, and SUV40 were analyzed.


RESULTS
PET identified five tumors not seen on CT. The sensitivity of PET for identifying primary tumors was 94% (17 of 18). The Sensitivity of PET for staging the neck was 90% (9 of 10), whereas the specificity was 78% (7 of 9). The SUV2.5 method was most likely to overestimate tumor volume, whereas SUV(def) and SUV-1SD were most likely to underestimate tumor volume.


CONCLUSIONS
The PET scan provides more accurate staging of primary tumors and nodal metastases for patients with advanced head-and-neck cancer than CT alone. Compared with the gold standard, significant variability exists in volumes obtained by using various SUV thresholds. A combination of clinical, CT, and PET data should continue to be used for optimal treatment planning. The SUV40 method appears to offer the best compromise between accuracy and reducing the risk of underestimating tumor extent.
Burri
Ryan J
RJ
Department of Radiation Oncology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA. ryan.burri@mountsinai.org
Rangaswamy
Balasubramanya
B
Kostakoglu
Lale
L
Hoch
Benjamin
B
Genden
Eric M
EM
Som
Peter M
PM
Kao
Johnny
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D007479:Iopamidol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D007479:Iopamidol