Radiation Oncology (Sep 2008)

FDG-PET/CT imaging for staging and radiotherapy treatment planning of head and neck carcinoma

  • Brambilla Marco,
  • Loi Gianfranco,
  • Gambaro Giuseppina,
  • Beldì Debora,
  • Deantonio Letizia,
  • Inglese Eugenio,
  • Krengli Marco

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-717X-3-29
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 3, no. 1
p. 29

Abstract

Read online

Abstract Background Positron emission tomography (PET) has a potential improvement for staging and radiation treatment planning of various tumor sites. We analyzed the use of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET/computed tomography (CT) images for staging and target volume delineation of patients with head and neck carcinoma candidates for radiotherapy. Methods Twenty-two patients candidates for primary radiotherapy, who did not receive any curative surgery, underwent both CT and PET/CT simulation. Gross Tumor Volume (GTV) was contoured on CT (CT-GTV), PET (PET-GTV), and PET/CT images (PET/CT-GTV). The resulting volumes were analyzed and compared. Results Based on PET/CT, changes in TNM categories and clinical stage occurred in 5/22 cases (22%). The difference between CT-GTV and PET-GTV was not statistically significant (p = 0.2) whereas the difference between the composite volume (PET/CT-GTV) and CT-GTV was statistically significant (p Conclusion PET/CT fusion images could have a potential impact on both tumor staging and treatment planning.