The Value of (18) F-FDG-PET/CT Imaging in Oral Cavity Cancer Patients Following Surgical Reconstruction

Objective: Follow-up of patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) after tumor resection and reconstruction with tissue transfer is challenging. We compared contrast-enhanced computed tomography (ceCT), (18) F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography combined with noncontrast enhanced CT ((18) F-FDG-PET/CT), and (18) F-FDG-PET combined with ceCT ((18) F-FDG-PET/ceCT) to determine the accuracy for detection of residual/recurrent disease after flap reconstruction for OCSCC.

Study Design And Methods: Two readers (R1, R2) retrospectively reviewed a total of 27 (18) F-FDG-PET/ceCT scans in patients after resection of stage II to IV OCSCC. They recorded the presence of local persistence/recurrence (LR), lymph node metastasis, or distant metastasis independently for ceCT, (18) F-FDG-PET/CT, and (18) F-FDG-PET/ceCT. Histological workup, imaging follow-up, or clinical follow-up served as the standard of reference. Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) was evaluated to discriminate between physiological uptake and LR.

Results: The highest accuracy to detect LR was achieved with (18) F-FDG-PET/ceCT, with a sensitivity/specificity of 88%/89% and 88%/79% for R1 and R2, respectively, as compared to ceCT with 75%/79% for R1 and 88%/68% for R2 and (18) F-FDG-PET/CT with 88%/58% for both R1 and R2. Receiver-operating-characteristic analysis determined a cutoff value for SUVmax of 7.2, yielding a sensitivity and specificity of 75% and 94%, respectively, to distinguish LR from physiological (18) F-FDG uptake.

Conclusion: (18) F-FDG-PET/ceCT seems to be the most reliable tool for locoregional surveillance of OCSCC patients after resection and reconstruction.

Level Of Evidence: 4.