title: PET and PET/CT of the neck lymph nodes improves risk prediction in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity.
abstract: We prospectively evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of (18)F-FDG PET in the detection of neck lymph node metastases in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We also sought to evaluate whether pretreatment PET visual scores in the neck lymph nodes may improve risk stratification.
  
  
  METHODS
  We enrolled 473 OSCC patients (445 men and 28 women; mean age ± SD, 50.9 ± 11.7 y) without distant metastases. All participants underwent (18)F-FDG PET within 2 wk before surgery and neck dissection. Histopathology was taken as the reference standard for neck lymph node status. The duration of follow-up was at least 24 mo in all surviving patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (18)F-FDG PET correctly diagnosed 164 of 211 patients with neck metastases and 152 of 262 subjects without pathologic neck metastases, resulting in a patient-based sensitivity and specificity of 77.7% and 58.0%, respectively. In Cox models adjusting for age, sex, traditional risk factors, and treatment modality, PET results at the neck lymph nodes were significantly and independently associated with rates of neck control, distant metastasis, disease-free survival, disease-specific survival, and overall survival. Notably, the results of the c-statistics demonstrated that PET score improved the accuracy of risk prediction in terms of overall and disease-free survival rates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PET findings at the neck lymph nodes have limited sensitivity and specificity for primary staging of OSCC but improve risk stratification beyond that of traditional risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chun-Ta
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Hung-Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shiang-Fu
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: I-How
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chung-Jan
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Chien-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Kang-Hsing
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Shu-Hang
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Chuen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hsueh
authors.forename: Li-Yu
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chih-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Tzu-Chen
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Yen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D009333:Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012372:ROC Curve; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome