FDG-PET in radiotherapy treatment planning of advanced head and neck cancer--a prospective clinical analysis.
2006
Abstract Background A prospective clinical analysis was carried out to assess the diagnostic and therapeutic impact of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) on planning radiotherapy in patients with advanced head and neck cancer in AJCC Stages III/IV. Methods From July 1999 to May 2004 FDG-PET was performed in 49 patients prior to radiotherapy for exclusion of systemic disease, synchronous second or unknown primary tumors. Results 45/49 (91.9%) FDG-PET findings could be confirmed in comparison with conventional imaging and the clinical follow up of 9.5 months. 21/49 FDG-PET (42.8%) yielded new diagnostic information with therapeutic implications in 20/49 (40.8%) cases. The therapy strategy was changed in 14/49 patients, minor modifications in the portal design occurred in 6/49 patients. 9/49 (18.3%) FDG-PET supported a curative strategy, 11/49 (22.4%) a palliative one. Conclusions FDG-PET is a useful and important diagnostic tool mainly for exclusion of systemic disease in advanced head and neck cancer, thus influencing radiotherapy in 20/49 (40.8%) of patients investigated in our study.
Keywords:
- Positron emission tomography
- Clinical pathology
- Unknown Primary Tumors
- Medicine
- Nuclear medicine
- Radiation therapy
- Head and neck cancer
- Fluorodeoxyglucose
- Systemic disease
- Radiation treatment planning
- radiotherapy treatment planning
- fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography
- diagnostic information
- in patient
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