title: 18F-FDG-PET/CT predicts survival in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the relationship between overall survival of patients and pretreatment [(18)F]-2-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) uptake, assessed by positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (PET/CT) in hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-one patients who were newly diagnosed as resectable hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma underwent pretreatment (18)F-FDG-PET/CT. We used the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) as (18)F-FDG uptake. Overall survival rate was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median SUVmax was 11.53 (range 2.49-22.33). Patients with SUVmax ≥ 13 significantly exhibited shorter overall survival in univariate analysis (p < 0.01). Moreover, by Cox proportional hazards model of multivariate analysis, SUVmax ≥ 13 was a significant prognostic factor independent of clinical T and N classification, and treatment group (p < 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggested that SUVmax obtained by pretreatment (18)F-FDG PET/CT assessment is an important prognostic factor in patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
authors: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8681, Japan. hi.suzuki@aichi-cc.jp
authors: Hidenori
authors: H
authors: Suzuki
authors: Katsuhiko
authors: K
authors: Kato
authors: Yasushi
authors: Y
authors: Fujimoto
authors: Yoshiyuki
authors: Y
authors: Itoh
authors: Mariko
authors: M
authors: Hiramatsu
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Maruo
authors: Shinji
authors: S
authors: Naganawa
authors: Yasuhisa
authors: Y
authors: Hasegawa
authors: Tsutomu
authors: T
authors: Nakashima
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18