Is there a correlation between 18F-FDG-PET standardized uptake value, T-classification, histological grading and the anatomic subsites in newly diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck?

18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET)/CT imaging of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) renders the possibility to study metabolic tumor activity by measuring FDG-uptake expressed as maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax). A correlation between SUVmax and several factors including T-classification, histological tumor differentiation or different anatomic subsites is of potential interest in HNSCC. The aim of this study was to evaluate how metabolic tumor activity derived from FDG-PET correlates with prognostic clinical and pathological parameters including these factors. 262 patients with HNSCC undergoing PET/CT for initial staging were assessed separately for a potential correlation between SUVmax and T-classification, histological grading, and anatomical subsites of the primary tumor. Nonparametric testing showed a significant correlation between SUVmax and T-classification (P