Differential Roles of 18F-FDG PET in Patients with Locoregional Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma After Primary Curative Therapy: Response Evaluation and Impact on Management

This prospective study compares the efficacies of whole-body 18F-FDG PET and a conventional work-up (CWU) in evaluating the treatment response for patients with locoregional advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after primary curative therapy and investigates the impact of PET on patient management. Methods: Patients who had locoregional advanced NPC (stages III and IVa-b, staged by 18F-FDG PET and CWU) and who had completed primary curative therapy for 3 mo were enrolled. The curative therapy consisted of concurrent chemoradiother-apy with or without induction chemotherapy. All of the patients also underwent 18F-FDG PET and CWU to evaluate the re-sponse. The criteria for final diagnosis were based on pathology or subsequent follow-up for at least 6 mo. Rates of detection by 18F-FDG PET and CWU and the impact on management were determined on site and patient bases, respectively