Clinical outcomes of IMRT planned with or without PET/CT simulation for patients with pharyngeal cancers.
BACKGROUND
Clinical results of computed tomography (CT) simulations and [18F]-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT simulations were compared retrospectively.


METHODS
Between 2006 and 2011, [18F]-FDG PET/CT simulation was performed on 68 consecutive patients with pharyngeal cancers (PET/CT group). As an historical control, conventional CT simulation was performed on 56 consecutive patients with pharyngeal cancer between 2000 and 2006 (CT group). In the PET/CT group, the primary sites were nasopharynx (NPC), oropharynx (OPC), and hypopharynx (HPC) in 35, 20, and 13 patients, respectively; in the CT group, the primary sites were NPC, OPC, and HPC in 21, 17, and 18 patients, respectively. All but five patients in the PET/CT group were treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).


RESULTS
In the PET/CT group, TNM and clinical stages changed in 11 (16 %) and eight (12 %) patients, respectively. Although the 5-year overall survival (OS) rates for the PET/CT and the CT groups were 80 and 64 %, respectively (p = 0.0420), this result may be attributable to the background difference between the two groups. Similarly, the 5-year locoregional control rates of the two groups were 82 and 70 %, respectively (p = 0.0501). Notably, marginal recurrences around the planning target volume (PTV) were only noted in four CT group patients.


CONCLUSIONS
PET/CT simulation was useful for delineating an accurate clinical target volume (CTV) of pharyngeal cancer, and its clinical results were satisfactory.
Department of Radiation Oncology, Kindai University, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan. fondriest.italy@gmail.com.|Departments of Radiation Oncology, Nara Hospital, Kindai University, 1248-1 Otoda-cho, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0293, Japan. fondriest.italy@gmail.com.
Tomohiro
T
Matsuura
Department of Radiation Oncology, Kindai University, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan.
Yasumasa
Y
Nishimura
Department of Radiation Oncology, Kindai University, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan.
Kiyoshi
K
Nakamatsu
Department of Radiation Oncology, Kindai University, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan.
Shuichi
S
Kanamori
Department of Radiation Oncology, Kindai University, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan.
Kazuki
K
Ishikawa
Department of Radiation Oncology, Kindai University, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan.
Izumi
I
Tachibana
PET, Faculty of Medicine, Kindai University, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan.
Makoto
M
Hosono
Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, Kagawa University, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kita-Gun, Kagawa, 761-0793, Japan.
Toru
T
Shibata
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000628:therapy; D000072078:Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted; D050397:Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
Head and neck cancer; Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT); Marginal recurrence; PET/CT; Simulation; [18F]-FDG