PET/MRI in head and neck cancer: initial experience.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the feasibility of PET/MRI (positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging) with FDG ((18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose) for initial staging of head and neck cancer.


METHODS
The study group comprised 20 patients (16 men, 4 women) aged between 52 and 81 years (median 64 years) with histologically proven squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region. The patients underwent a PET scan on a conventional scanner and a subsequent PET/MRI examination on a whole-body hybrid system. FDG was administered intravenously prior to the conventional PET scan (267-395 MBq FDG, 348 MBq on average). The maximum standardized uptake values (SUV(max)) of the tumour and of both cerebellar hemispheres were determined for both PET datasets. The numbers of lymph nodes with increased FDG uptake were compared between the two PET datasets.


RESULTS
No MRI-induced artefacts where observed in the PET images. The tumour was detected by PET/MRI in 17 of the 20 patients, by PET in 16 and by MRI in 14. The PET/MRI examination yielded significantly higher SUV(max) than the conventional PET scanner for both the tumour (p < 0.0001) and the cerebellum (p = 0.0009). The number of lymph nodes with increased FDG uptake detected using the PET dataset from the PET/MRI system was significantly higher the number detected by the stand-alone PET system (64 vs. 39, p = 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The current study demonstrated that PET/MRI of the whole head and neck region is feasible with a whole-body PET/MRI system without impairment of PET or MR image quality.
Department of Radiology, Dresden University Hospital, Fetscherstrasse 74, Dresden, Germany. ivan.platzek@uniklinikum-dresden.de
Ivan
I
Platzek
Bettina
B
Beuthien-Baumann
Matthias
M
Schneider
Volker
V
Gudziol
Jens
J
Langner
Georg
G
Schramm
Michael
M
Laniado
Jörg
J
Kotzerke
Jörg
J
van den Hoff
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; D051598:Whole Body Imaging
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18