title: Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Initial Diagnosis and Staging with PET/CT.
abstract: Squamous cell carcinoma is the most frequent malignancy of the head and neck region, accounting for 5% of all malignant tumors worldwide. Accurate staging at diagnosis is critical for selection of appropriate treatment strategy. A variety of therapeutic options are used for treatment, including surgery with or without radical dissection, lymph node dissections of various severities, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and combinations of these. Precise prediction of the extent of primary tumors, detection of unknown primary tumor, cervical lymph node status, and distant metastatic spread is important for treatment planning and prognosis. Accurate evaluation of these factors prior to treatment helps guide surgical extent or radiation porta, minimizing locoregional treatment failure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, UH B2 A209F, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5030, USA. Electronic address: gvshah@med.umich.edu.
authors.forename: Gaurang V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, UH B2 A209F, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5030, USA.
authors.forename: Ka Kit
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, UH B2 A209F, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5030, USA.
authors.forename: Dheeraj
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gandhi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, UH B2 A209F, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5030, USA.
authors.forename: Hemant
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Parmar
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, UH B2 A209F, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5030, USA.
authors.forename: Suresh K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Mukherji
keywords: FDG-PET; Head and neck cancer; PET/CT; Squamous cell carcinoma; Staging