title: The Limitations of Routine Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Long-Term Post-Treatment Locoregional Surveillance of Salivary Carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the utility of head and neck magnetic resonance imaging (HN-MRI) for the routine surveillance of patients without concurrent symptoms or signs of recurrence more than 6 months after treatment for salivary gland carcinoma (SGC).
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective single-institution review of SGC patients from 2000 to 2011 who underwent one or more HN-MRI scans without concurrent suspicious symptoms or signs of recurrence more than 6 months after the completion of treatment, with at least 6 months of follow-up after each scan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of an original 283 SGC patients treated surgically, 41 patients, who were disease free 6 months after treatment, had undergone 96 routine HN-MRIs without concurrent suspicious symptoms or signs. Ten out of the 41 patients (24%) experienced a false-positive finding with routine HN-MRI. None of the 96 HN-MRIs demonstrated a true-positive or false-negative finding.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than 6 months after treatment, routine HN-MRI for the detection of locoregional recurrence of SGC has a low utility in patients without concurrent suspicious symptoms or signs. While these data support the judicious use of routine HN-MRIs, the managing physician should ultimately decide on the best course of surveillance for an individual patient based on the unique risk factors and circumstances present.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, San Francisco School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, Calif., USA.
authors.forename: Shirin M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hemmat
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uzelac
authors.forename: Sue S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Yom
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Ryan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult