title: Comparison of positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging and ultrasound in surveillance of head and neck cancer - The 3-year experience of the ENT Department in Poznan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Posttreatment surveillance for the local and regional recurrence of the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma often requires a multimodality techniques that include PET combined with CT, MRI, US.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to compare the diagnostic performance of two imaging techniques (PET/CT and US), and their combined use for the detection of a subclinical regional recurrence in patients after HNSCC treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  83 patients after completion of the HNSCC treatment underwent both US and PET/CT on the mean follow-up of 14 months after initial treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT were 86% and 82%, respectively; US values reached 81% and 87%, respectively. PPV was 79% for PET/CT, and 83% for US. NPV was 89% for PET/CT, and 85% for US. The overall accuracy for PET/CT and US was 84% for both methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  US could be regarded as complementary to PET/CT as the procedures with highest sensitivity, specificity and NPV for detecting subclinical regional recurrences after HNSCC treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wierzbicka
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Mariola
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Popko
authors.affiliation: Fifth Year Medical Faculty Student, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Piskadło
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Internal Diseases, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland ; Department of PET/CT, Greater Poland Medical Centre, Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Rafał
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Czepczyński
authors.affiliation: Fifth Year Medical Faculty Student, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stankowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Military Institute of Medicine, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Piętka
authors.affiliation: Military Institute of Medicine and Masovian PET/CT Centre, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Mirosław
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dziuk
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Witold
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Szyfter
keywords: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; PET/CT; US