Impact of combined 18F-FDG PET/CT in head and neck tumours
Author Information
Author(s): Syed R, Bomanji J B, Nagabhushan N, Hughes S, Kayani I, Groves A, Gacinovic S, Hydes N, Visvikis D, Copland C, Ell P J
Primary Institution: Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Middlesex Hospital, London, UK
Hypothesis
To compare the interobserver agreement and degree of confidence in anatomical localisation of lesions using 18F-FDG PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET alone in patients with head and neck tumours.
Conclusion
18F-FDG PET/CT significantly increases interobserver agreement and confidence in disease localisation of 18F-FDG-avid lesions in patients with head and neck cancers.
Supporting Evidence
- 18F-FDG PET/CT improved the degree of confidence in anatomical localisation by 51%.
- Interobserver agreement was moderate using 18F-FDG PET alone but almost perfect with 18F-FDG PET/CT.
- 18F-FDG PET/CT identified all primary sites compared to only 50% with 18F-FDG PET alone.
Takeaway
This study shows that using a special imaging technique called 18F-FDG PET/CT helps doctors find cancer better in the head and neck area compared to using just one type of imaging.
Methodology
A prospective study involving 24 patients with head and neck tumours, comparing 18F-FDG PET and 18F-FDG PET/CT for anatomical localisation.
Limitations
The small size of the patient cohort limited accurate assessment of sensitivity and specificity of 18F-FDG PET/CT.
Participant Demographics
16 males and 8 females with a median age of 59 years.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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