Does 18fluoro-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography improve recurrence detection in patients treated for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with negative clinical follow-up?

Background. The aim of this study was to determine the benefits of 18fluoro‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F‐FDG PET) in the detection of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) recurrence in patients with negative clinical follow‐up. Methods. Whole‐body 18FDG‐PET was performed in 30 patients treated for HNSCC without any clinical element for recurrence. Results. Twenty‐one negative PET and 9 positive results were seen. One patient with abnormal 18F‐FDG uptake in the laryngeal area did not have recurrent HNSCC (false positive). Eight had proven recurrence. The sensitivity and specificity of 18F‐FDG PET for the diagnosis of HNSCC recurrence were 100% (8/8) and 95% (21/22), respectively. The positive predictive value was 89% (8/9). The negative predictive value was 100% (21/21). The overall accuracy was 97% (29/30). Conclusion. The results of our study confirm the high effectiveness of 18F‐FDG PET in assessment of HNSCC recurrence and suggest that it is more accurate than conventional physical examination follow‐up alone. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 2007