Improved treatment outcomes with (18) F-FDG PET/CT for patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Publication

Improved treatment outcomes with (18) F-FDG PET/CT for patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Journal Paper/Review - Oct 29, 2011

Haerle Stephan K, Soyka M B, Schmid D T, Ahmad N, Huber Gerhard, Crook D W, Hany T F

Citation

Haerle S, Soyka M, Schmid D, Ahmad N, Huber G, Crook D, Hany T. Improved treatment outcomes with (18) F-FDG PET/CT for patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Head & neck 2011; 34:1205-11.

Type

Journal Paper/Review (English)

Journal

Head & neck 2011; 34

Publication Date

Oct 29, 2011

Issn Electronic

1097-0347

Pages

1205-11

Brief description/objective

BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to assess the impact of (18) F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ((18) F-FDG) PET/CT on survival for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma correlated with a matched patient cohort.

METHODS
In all, disease in 58 patients was initially staged using (18) F-FDG PET/CT. A case-control analysis was done with 63 patients who disease was staged without (18) F-FDG-PET/CT.

RESULTS
Disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS) did not show significant differences between both groups. Statistical analysis revealed no difference in DSS and OS between the 2 groups for patients treated by radiochemotherapy (p = .975 and p = .671). In the analysis of survival in patients treated by a combined approach (surgery + radiochemotherapy), a significant difference in favor of patients evaluated by (18) F-FDG PET/CT was found (p = .05 and p = .027).

CONCLUSIONS
Addition of (18) F-FDG PET/CT in patients treated by surgery and conformal radiochemotherapy improves outcome. This may be due to the more comprehensive topographic orientation of the primary tumor for the surgeon.