Premium
F‐18 FDG PET‐CT fusion in radiotherapy treatment planning for head and neck cancer
Author(s) -
Koshy Mary,
Paulino Arnold C.,
Howell Rebecca,
Schuster David,
Halkar Raghuveer,
Davis Lawrence W.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.20179
Subject(s) - medicine , head and neck cancer , positron emission tomography , radiation therapy , nuclear medicine , radiology , lung cancer , stage (stratigraphy) , pet ct , nasopharyngeal carcinoma , radiation treatment planning , cancer , head and neck , oncology , surgery , paleontology , biology
Background. The fusion of fluoro‐2‐deoxy‐ d ‐glucose–positron emission tomography (FDG‐PET) with CT scans has been shown to improve diagnostic accuracy and staging in non‐small cell lung cancer. We report on the influence of PET‐CT fusion on the management of patients with head and neck cancer. Methods. Thirty‐six patients with intact primary head and neck cancers treated with radiation therapy (RT) received PET‐CT as part of treatment planning. Workup before PET‐CT included a contrast‐enhanced CT scan of the head and neck and chest X‐ray; patients with nasopharyngeal and paranasal sinus primary tumors also underwent MRI. Results. Changes in TNM score and American Joint Committee on Cancer stage occurred in 13 patients (36%) and five patients (14%), respectively, based on PET‐CT. RT volume and dose were altered in five patients (14%) and four patients (11%), respectively. Five patients initially were seen with carcinoma of unknown primary, and PET‐CT confirmed oropharyngeal primary tumors in two. PET‐CT data also detected a synchronous lung cancer in one patient. Conclusion. PET‐CT fusion may have a significant impact on staging and determination of RT treatment volume and dose. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 27: XXX–XXX, 2005