Initial and Delayed Metabolic Activity of Palatine Tonsils Measured with the PET/CT-Dedicated Parameters

Abstract

One of the most critical elements in the palatine tonsils (PT) patients’ management is to distinguish chronic tonsillitis and malignant tumor. The single-time-point (STP) 2-deoxy-2-[18 F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18 F-FDG PET/CT) examination offers the most significant sensitivity and specificity in the head and neck (H&N) region evaluation among commonly used methods of imaging. However, introducing dual-time-point (DTP) scanning might improve the specificity and sensitivity of the technique, limited by the 18 F-FDG non-tumor-specific patterns, especially when comparing different metabolic parameters. The study aims to compare several surrogates of the maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax), obtained in 36 subjects, divided into confirmed by pathologic study PT cancer and tonsillitis in patients who underwent DTP 18 F-FDG PET/CT scanning. In this study, we observed the increased sensitivity and the specificity of the DTP 18 F-FDG PET/CT when compared with the standard PET/CT protocol. It could be concluded that DTP 18 F-FDG PET/CT improves the PT cancer and chronic tonsillitis differential diagnosis.

Keywords

• head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
• molecular diagnostics
• palatine tonsils cancer
• positron emission tomography
• tonsillitis