Preoperative 18 F‐FDG PET/CT and high‐risk HPV in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Background To evaluate the association of 18 F‐fluorodeoxyglucose‐positron emission tomography ( 18 F‐FDG PET/CT) and high‐risk human papillomavirus (HPV) status and to establish the histologic correlates in oropharyngeal cancer (OPSCC). Method The medical records of 78 patients who underwent 18 F‐FDG PET/CT for OPSCC before surgery were reviewed. Results The positive rate of high‐risk HPV in situ hybridization was 36% (28 of 78). The maximum standardized uptake values (SUV max ) of negativity for the high‐risk HPV subtypes (10.29 ± 4.30) and positivity (6.69 ± 4.17) were found to be significantly different ( p = .001). The SUV max cutoff value for differentiating negativity for the high‐risk HPV subtypes from positivity was 7.10, with the sensitivity of 78% and the specificity of 68%. A median SUV max (using 7.10 as a cutoff) ( p = .041) and high‐risk HPV status ( p = .040) were found to be associated with 5‐year disease‐specific survival (DSS). Conclusions Median 18 F‐FDG PET/CT SUV max cutoff values 7.10 or greater are associated with a high‐risk HPV negativity in OPSCC patients. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 36 : 323–327, 2014