title: Use of positron emission tomography scanning in metastatic head and neck cutaneous squamous cell cancer: does it add to patient management?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the impact of whole-body positron emission tomography in comparison to staging by conventional methods alone in management of patients with head and neck cutaneous squamous cell cancer (cSCC) with confirmed regional nodal metastasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective case cohort study carried out at a tertiary referral cancer centre. The participants were thirty-one adults with head and neck cSCC and regional nodal metastasis. The original treatment plan based on conventional cross-sectional imaging and clinical examination was compared to the final treatment plan after additional PET staging to evaluate the impact of 18F-FDG PET-CT on patient management.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Addition of 18F-FDG PET-CT did not change the management in 24/31 (77%) of patients. In four cases the 18F-FDG PET-CT failed to pick up biopsy proven metastatic disease. Two patients who had reduced extent of surgery have shown no features of regional failure after one year of follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall the management in majority of head and neck cSCC patients with regional metastasis does not change by addition of 18F-FDG PET-CT over conventional imaging.
authors: Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: doctorms77@gmail.com.
authors: Mrinal
authors: M
authors: Supriya
authors: Surgical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.
authors: Ng
authors: N
authors: Suat-Chin
authors: Surgical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.
authors: Andrew
authors: A
authors: Sizeland
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18