Publication
18F-FDG-PET/CT for the assessment of the contralateral neck in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Journal Paper/Review - Feb 20, 2013
Kastrinidis Nikos, Kuhn Felix P, Hany Thomas F, Ahmad Nader, Huber Gerhard, Haerle Stephan K
Units
PubMed
Doi
Citation
Type
Journal
Publication Date
Issn Electronic
Pages
Brief description/objective
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS
The aim was to compare the value of 18-Fluoro-Deoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) regarding contralateral lymph node (LN) metastasis in the neck.
STUDY DESIGN
Retrospective analysis of 61 patients staged by 18F-FDG-PET/CT.
METHODS
Cytology/histology served as a reference standard. Further, metabolic midline invasion (MI) of the primary tumor and the presence of bilateral LN metastases were assessed.
RESULTS
A true positive rate in the ipsilateral neck of 80% versus 65% in the contralateral neck was found (P = 0.067). Median-standardized uptake value (SUV)-max for suspicious LN ipsilaterally was 7.6 versus 5.8 contralaterally (P = 0.038). There was no positive correlation between metabolic MI and bilateral metastasis (P = 0.82).
CONCLUSIONS
The rate of true positive detected LN by 18F-FDG-PET/CT is less on the contralateral neck side; therefore, all suspicious LNs should be verified by cytology. A high SUV in the contralateral neck suggests metastatic disease regardless of nodal size. Metabolic MI needs to be addressed carefully as it was not predictive for bilateral LN involvement.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
4.