Accuracy of whole-body PET and PET-CT in initial M staging of head and neck cancer: a meta-analysis.
BACKGROUND
A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of whole-body positron emission tomography (PET) and PET-CT in initial M staging of head and neck cancer.


METHODS
After a systematic review of English language studies, sensitivity, specificity, and other measures of whole-body PET and PET-CT were pooled. Summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves were also used to summarize overall test performance.


RESULTS
Eight PET and 7 PET-CT studies were identified. The pooled sensitivity estimates for PET and PET-CT were 0.848 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.776-0.905) and 0.875 (95% CI, 0.787-0.936). The pooled specificity estimates were 0.952 (95% CI, 0.933-0.967) and 0.950 (95% CI, 0.931-0.964). The Q* index estimates for PET-CT (0.9409) were not significantly higher than for PET (0.9154; p > .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Whole-body PET and PET-CT have good diagnostic performance in initial M staging of head and neck cancer; although PET-CT tends to have higher accuracy than PET.
Xu
Guo-Zeng
GZ
Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, People's Republic of China.
Zhu
Xiao-Dong
XD
Li
Ming-Yao
MY
D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D051598:Whole Body Imaging
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals