title: The Value of F-18 FDG PET for Planning Treatment and Detecting Recurrence in Malignant Salivary Gland Tumors: Comparison with Conventional Imaging Studies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the value of F-18 FDG PET/CT for detecting cervical lymph node (LN) metastasis and recurrence, as well as planning treatment, and to compare the accuracy of PET/CT with conventional imaging studies (CIS) in patients with malignant salivary gland tumor (SGT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Staging and follow-up PET/CT for SGT were retrospectively reviewed. Enhanced CT and/or MRI of the neck were performed within 1 month of PET/CT. Final diagnosis was based on histology from cervical LN dissection and biopsy or a minimum 6 months of clinical and imaging follow-up. We compared the performance of PET/CT in initial cervical LN staging and recurrence detection with that of CIS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 184 PET/CT exams of 66 patients were included, and 34 initial staging and 150 surveillance PET/CT exams were performed. The initial cervical LN detection sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 60.9 %, 89.2 %, 84.0 %, 56.0 %, and 91.0 % for visual analysis on PET/CT, 39.1 %, 95.0 %, 84.8 %, 64.3 %, and 87.4 % for semiquantitative analysis on PET/CT, and and 43.5 %, 94.1 %, 84.8 %, 62.5 %, and 88.1 % for CIS. The sensitivity of visual analysis on PET/CT was significantly higher than that of semiquantitative analysis on PET/CT and CIS (p = 0.0009 and 0.0086). In 5 of 34 initial staging patients (14.7 %), the treatment plan was changed from curative surgery to palliative therapy. The performance of follow-up PET/CT showed no significant difference compared with CIS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PET/CT showed comparable performance with CIS for cervical LNs staging. Initial PET/CT changed treatment plans in 14.7 % of patients. However, PET/CT offered no additional advantage for detecting locoregional recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu Seoul, 137-701 Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hye Lim
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu Seoul, 137-701 Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ie Ryung
authors.initials: IeR
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu Seoul, 137-701 Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Narae
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu Seoul, 137-701 Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyukjin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu Seoul, 137-701 Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Kyoung
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu Seoul, 137-701 Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Su
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu Seoul, 137-701 Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Cervical lymph nodes; F-18 FDG PET/CT; Salivary gland neoplasm; Staging