Clinical impact of 18F-FDG positron emission tomography/CT on adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess the diagnostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT and the prognostic value of metabolic PET parameters in patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck (ACCHN). Methods: Forty patients with newly diagnosed ACCHN were enrolled in this study. We investigated the diagnostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT for detecting and staging compared to conventional CT. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis for progression-free survival (PFS) was performed with clinicopathological factors and metabolic PET parameters. Results: The 18F-FDG PET/CT showed comparable sensitivity (92.3%) to conventional CT for lesion detection, and changed staging and management plan in 6 patients (15.0%). Lower PFS rates were associated with advanced T classification, advanced TNM classification, high maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax; >5.1), and high total lesion glycolysis (>40.1) of the primary tumor. Conclusion: The 18F-FDG PET/CT can provide additional information for initial staging, and metabolic PET parameters may serve as prognostic factors of ACCHN. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 447–455, 2017.