title: Efficacy of fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography to evaluate responses to concurrent chemoradiotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluates the utility of fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-five patients were recruited for this study between November 2002 and April 2007. The FDG-PET scan was performed before treatment and 4-6 weeks after treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean of maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) before treatment at the primary tumor site was 8.1 (range, 2-22). The sensitivity of FDG-PET for the diagnosis of primary tumor site was 98%. The mean of SUVmax after treatment was 2.6 (range, 2-5). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of FDG-PET for the diagnosis of primary tumor site after treatment were 100%, 40%, and 46%, respectively. The mean of SUVmax before treatment at the nodal site was 4.7 (range, 2-16). The mean of SUVmax after treatment was 2.0 (range, 2-6.7). The pre-treatment SUVmax of T2, T3, and T4 stages were significantly higher than that of the T1 stage. The N stage had no correlation in terms of the pre-treatment nodal site SUVmax.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that FDG-PET is a useful imaging method for evaluating the response of CCRT in patients with HNSCC. However, performing FDG-PET 4-6 weeks after treatment may be too early as it may give false-positive results due to fibrosis and scarring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, and Head and Neck Surgery, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Japan. watamaki@yokohama-cu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsukuda
authors.forename: Choichi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Horiuchi
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Takahide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taguchi
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Goshi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Niho
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sakuma
authors.forename: Kunihiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: Satoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugisaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18