Comparison of 18F-FDG and 11C-choline PET/CT for detecting recurrences in patients with nonsquamous cell head and neck malignancies.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the usefulness of F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and C-choline positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) for detecting recurrences of nonsquamous cell head and neck malignancies after chemotherapy and radiotherapy.


METHODS
Fourteen patients (10 men and four women; mean age: 53.7 ± 14.5 years) with advanced nonsquamous cell head and neck malignancies other than squamous cell carcinoma were recruited. F-FDG and C-choline PET/CT examinations were performed in all the patients after chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The PET/CT images were evaluated using a visual analysis and a region-based analysis. After the posttreatment PET/CT examination, all the patients underwent further surveillance using the conventional imaging methods.


RESULTS
Recurrences were eventually confirmed in eight patients after the posttreatment PET/CT examination. The region-based analysis showed that the maximum standardized uptake values for F-FDG and C-choline were strongly correlated with each other (R=0.84). The C-choline PET/CT clearly detected the lesions in two patients, one with severe diabetes mellitus and one with a brain lesion.


CONCLUSIONS
The abilities of F-FDG and C-choline PET/CT to detect lesions were almost the same in this study. In addition, choline has a superior potential for imaging skull base and intracranial lesions because the normal brain is not choline avid.
Ito
Kimiteru
K
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Saitama Medical University International Medical Cente, Hidaka City, Saitama prefecture, Japan. itoukimiteru@yahoo.co.jp
Yokoyama
Jyunkichi
J
Kubota
Kazuo
K
Morooka
Miyako
M
D001692:Biological Transport; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000378:metabolism; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D002794:Choline