Does 18F-FDG PET/CT Improve the Detection of Posttreatment Recurrence of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Patients Negative for Disease on Clinical Follow-up?

Posttreatment surveillance for the recurrence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a diagnostic challenge. Tis-sue distortion from radiation and surgery can obscure early detec-tion of recurrence by conventional follow-up approaches such as physical examination, CT, and MRI. Several studies have shown that 18F-FDG PETmay be an effective technique for the detection of persistent, recurrent, and distantmetastatic HNSCCafter treat-ment. The aim of this prospective study was to determine the benefits of hybrid 18F-FDG PET/CT in detecting a subclinical locoregional recurrence of HNSCC and distant metastases. The study patients were considered cured of HNSCC on the basis of 12 mo of negative findings on conventional follow-up. We also assessed thediagnostic accuracyof 18F-FDGPET/CT in thesepa-tients. Methods: Ninety-one patients cured of HNSCC without any clinical evidence of recurrence were included. Whole-bod