The value of (18) F-FDG-PET/CT imaging in oral cavity cancer patients following surgical reconstruction

Algorithms of follow-up in patients with head and neck cancer in relation to primary location and advancement. Consensus of Polish ENT Society Board and Head Neck Experts

Summary

The algorithm of follow-up in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) has been prepared by a board of Polish Head Neck and Oncology Experts. The aim of this research is to focus on the specificity of HNC monitoring, to review the current trends in follow-up, and to adapt the evidence-based medicine international standards to the capabilities of the local healthcare service.

Materials and methods

The first methodological step was to categorize HNCs according to the estimated risk of failure after the adequate first-line treatment and according to the possibility of effective salvage treatment, resulting in improved overall survival. The final method used in this work was to prepare an authors' original monitoring algorithm for HNC groups with a high, moderate, and low risk of recurrence in combination with a high or low probability of using an effective salvage.

Results

Four categories were established: Ia. low risk of recurrence + effective organ preservation feasible; Ib. low risk of recurrence + effective salvage feasible; II. moderate risk of recurrence + effective salvage feasible; III. high risk of recurrence + effective salvage feasible; and IV. high risk of recurrence + no effective salvage feasible. Follow-up visit consisting of 1. ENT examination + neck ultrasound, 2. imaging HN tests, 3. chest imaging, 4. blood tests, and 5. rehabilitation (speech and swallowing) was scheduled with a very different frequency, at the proposed monthly intervals, tailored to the needs of the group. The number of visits for individual groups varies from 1 to 8 in the first 2 years and from 1 to 17 in the entire 5-year monitoring period. Group IV has not been included in regular follow-up, visits on own initiative of the patient if symptomatic, or supportive care needs, having in mind that third-line therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors are available.

Conclusion

Universal monitoring algorithm for HNC four groups with a high, moderate, and low risk of recurrence after the adequate treatment in combination with a high or low probability of using an effective salvage is an innovative approach to redeploying system resources and ensuring maximum benefit for patients with HNC.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Staging and Post-Therapy Assessment of Head and Neck Cancer

Imaging of head and neck cancer at initial staging and as part of post-treatment surveillance is a key component of patient care as it guides treatment strategy and aids determination of prognosis. Head and neck cancer includes a heterogenous group of malignancies encompassing several anatomic sites and histologies, with squamous cell carcinoma the most common. Together this comprises the seventh most common cancer worldwide. At initial staging comprehensive imaging delineating the anatomic extent of the primary site, while also assessing the nodal involvement of the neck is necessary. The treatment of head and neck cancer often includes a combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Post-treatment imaging is tailored for the evaluation of treatment response and early detection of local, locoregional, and distant recurrent tumor. Cross-sectional imaging with CT or MRI is recommended for the detailed anatomic delineation of the primary site. PET/CT provides complementary metabolic information and can map systemic involvement. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

Surveillance Imaging Following Head and Neck Cancer Treatment and Microvascular Reconstruction

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS

To assess the accuracy and utility of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting head and neck cancer (HNC) recurrence after microvascular reconstructive surgery.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

METHODS

Analysis of HNC patients who underwent microvascular reconstruction at a single, tertiary academic center following ablative surgery from 1998 to 2015. Forty-six patients aged 61.4 ± 15.8 years with both PET/CT and MRI examinations were identified. Two radiologists were blinded and interpreted each imaging study. Recurrence certainty scores were determined via continuous (0-100) and Likert ("Likely" to "Unlikely") scales, with larger values indicating a higher likelihood of recurrence. Pathologic confirmation of recurrence was confirmed in 23 patients (50%).

RESULTS

Among those with primary site recurrences, mean recurrence certainty was significantly higher with PET/CT versus MRI on the continuous scale (63.9 vs. 44.4, P = .006). A receiver operating characteristic analysis for predicting primary site recurrence demonstrated a significantly larger area under the curve of 0.79 for PET/CT compared to 0.64 for MRI (P = .044). Categorization of "Likely" primary site recurrence on PET/CT, versus MRI, had higher sensitivity (0.63 vs. 0.40), but lower specificity (0.90 vs. 1.0). MRI demonstrated higher sensitivity (1.0 vs. 0.78) at detecting regional site recurrences.

CONCLUSION

PET/CT demonstrates greater sensitivity than MRI as a surveillance tool for primary site recurrence following microvascular reconstruction where clinical evaluation is hindered by anatomical distortion. Therefore, PET/CT should be pursued as first-line imaging, with MRI utilized for confirmation of positive imaging findings at the primary site.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

2 Laryngoscope, 2021.

Is F-18 FDG PET/computed tomography a useful tool to restage the patients with tongue carcinoma?

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced F-18 fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (F-18 FDG) PET/computed tomography (CT) in restaging of tongue carcinoma.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Retrospectively analysis of carcinoma tongue patients (n = 110) who were treated and referred for FDG PET/CT. Histopathological examination and clinical or imaging follow-up were taken as gold standard.

RESULTS

Of 110 patients, FDG PET/CT detected FDG avid lesions in 69 (62.7%) patients. Sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy of FDG PET/CT were 92.9%, 90.0% and 91.8%, respectively, for residual/recurrence disease detection (P < 0.05). Additionally, in six patients, metachronous primaries were also detected [lung (4), esophagus and lymphoma (1) each]. The mean maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) with 95% confidence interval for primary site recurrence, regional lymph nodes and metastatic lesions was 11.51 (9.53-13.48), 69 (62.7%) (7.88-11.48) and 8.94 (3.11-14.76), respectively.

CONCLUSION

FDG PET/CT demonstrates high diagnostic accuracy for detection of residual/recurrent disease in treated tongue cancer patients and PET/CT should be considered as first-line diagnostic investigation in these patients.

18F-FDG-PET/CT Imaging in Advanced Glottic Cancer: A Tool for Clinical Decision in Comparison with Conventional Imaging

This study assessed the role of ¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT (PET/CT) to detect the cartilage and paraglottic infiltration in advanced glottic cancer comparing the results with those of conventional imaging (CI) (contrast-enhanced computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance). In addition, we assessed the prognostic value of quantitative parameters, measured on baseline PET/CT, in terms of event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS). We retrospectively analyzed 27 patients with glottic squamous cell carcinoma stage III and IVA, treated in our institute between 2010 and 2016, comparing PET/CT, performed for staging and radiotherapy planning, and CI findings. Cohen's K was used to compare concordance between PET/CT and CI. Imaging findings were correlated with endoscopic evaluation and histological reports (gold standard (GS)). All lesions shown by CI were also detected by PET/CT imaging, and in 5 cases, a better definition of local infiltration was achieved with PET/CT than CI (5 CT). Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of PET/CT and CT were 95%, 86%, and 93% and 70%, 86%, and 74% for, respectively. MRI showed sensitivity and specificity of 100%. One false-negative (FN) cases and 1 false-positive (FP) case were observed with PET/CT with no difference compared to MRI (10 cases). Six FN cases and 1 FP case were observed with CT. Cohen's K was 0.60 (PET vs. CI) and 0.80 (PET vs. GS). Patients were followed-up for at least 24 months to calculate EFS and OS. 13 local recurrence and 7 deaths were recorded. Among quantitative PET parameters, baseline MTV was the most powerful predictor of outcome. Our data suggest a reliable sensitivity and accuracy of PET/CT in the evaluation of local extension, proving a useful method for initial local staging in addition to the well-established role in lymph-node and distant sites assessment. Furthermore, pretreatment MTV provides better prognostic information than other PET/CT parameters.

Utility of 3-Month Surveillance F-18 FDG PET/CT in Surgically Resected Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the performance of surveillance F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) 1 year after imaging in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients treated with definitive surgery and adjuvant (chemo)radiotherapy (RT).

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Surveillance PET/CT accuracy was retrospectively evaluated in OSCC patients receiving surgical resection and (chemo)RT. Pathologic risk factors were assessed for influence on accuracy of the post-RT PET/CT.

RESULTS

Fifty-four patients with median follow-up of 3.8 years met inclusion criteria. A PET/CT obtained a median of 3.4 months after RT revealed 11 (20.4%) instances of true disease recurrence: 4 locoregional alone, 6 distant alone, and 1 patient with locoregional and distant disease. Locoregional detection sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were 55.6%, 75.0%, 33.3%, and 88.2%, respectively. For distant recurrence, the respective values were 100%, 95.2%, 77.8%, and 100%. Absence of bone invasion, absence of pT4 disease, and disease within the tongue were independently associated with higher sensitivity ( P = .048). Perineural invasion was associated with increased specificity ( P = .027), and tumor location in the tongue was associated with a higher PPV ( P = .007) on surveillance PET/CT.

CONCLUSIONS

Post-RT PET/CT accuracy information for surgically managed OSCC patients demonstrates significant associations with pathologic factors.

Cell-free nucleic acids in body fluids as biomarkers for the prediction and early detection of recurrent head and neck cancer: A systematic review of the literature

Liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive detection method for molecular biomarkers in body fluids which may serve as a novel tool in management of head and neck cancer. The purpose of this systematic review is to outline the current status of liquid biopsy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients by systematically identifying and qualifying all published studies on the diagnostic or prognostic value of cell-free nucleic acids detection for posttreatment disease monitoring and/or disease outcome. A search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. Thirty articles met the inclusion criteria for further analysis. Study and patient characteristics, molecular analysis method and treatment or prognostic outcomes were extracted. Seventeen studies investigated circulating miRNAs in blood. Of these studies, 16 found statistically significant results for a total of 24 different candidate miRNAs for prognostication or treatment monitoring. The remaining studies investigated circulating tumor DNA by targeting somatic mutations, allelic imbalances, hypermethylation, or HPV-DNA. Of these studies, 2 found a statistically significant association between nucleic acid levels (tumor DNA targeted by allelic imbalances and HPV-DNA) in blood and/or saliva and prognostic outcome. One study found significantly different pre- and posttreatment levels of mitochondrial DNA in serum. Despite large differences among these studies in both design and results, individual results are promising and provide ground for more large-scale studies with standardized serial assessment of patient samples in the future.

Changes in the distributions of fluorine-18-labelled fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose accumulation into tongue-related muscles after dissection in patients with tongue cancer

OBJECTIVES

To elucidate the changes in the distributions of fluorine-18-labelled fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (¹⁸F-FDG) accumulation in the tongue muscles of patients following four kinds of surgical operations for tongue cancers.

METHODS

The changes in the distributions of ¹⁸F-FDG accumulations in the tongue muscles on positron emission tomography (PET)-CT, in association with imaging findings on CT and MRI, were retrospectively analyzed before and after four kinds of surgical operations for 50 patients with tongue cancers.

RESULTS

¹⁸F-FDG-PET-positive areas appeared at the back of the intrinsic muscles of the tongue after invasive surgery for tongue cancers despite the absence of abnormal findings on CT and MRI. A correlation between the standardized uptake value maximum of ¹⁸F-FDG in the intrinsic muscles and the degree of invasiveness of the surgical procedures for tongue cancers (r = 0.539, p < 0.01) was found.

CONCLUSIONS

It is important to pay attention to the changes in ¹⁸F-FDG distributions in the intrinsic muscles of the tongue before and after invasive surgery despite the absence of abnormal findings on CT and MRI when evaluating the tongue on ¹⁸F-FDG-PET.

Droplet digital PCR for detection and quantification of circulating tumor DNA in plasma of head and neck cancer patients

Background

During posttreatment surveillance of head and neck cancer patients, imaging is insufficiently accurate for the early detection of relapsing disease. Free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may serve as a novel biomarker for monitoring tumor burden during posttreatment surveillance of these patients. In this exploratory study, we investigated whether low level ctDNA in plasma of head and neck cancer patients can be detected using Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR).

Methods

TP53 mutations were determined in surgically resected primary tumor samples from six patients with high stage (II-IV), moderate to poorly differentiated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Subsequently, mutation specific ddPCR assays were designed. Pretreatment plasma samples from these patients were examined on the presence of ctDNA by ddPCR using the mutation-specific assays. The ddPCR results were evaluated alongside clinicopathological data.

Results

In all cases, plasma samples were found positive for targeted TP53 mutations in varying degrees (absolute quantification of 2.2–422 mutational copies/ml plasma). Mutations were detected in wild-type TP53 background templates of 7667–156,667 copies/ml plasma, yielding fractional abundances of down to 0.01%.

Conclusions

Our results show that detection of tumor specific TP53 mutations in low level ctDNA from HNSCC patients using ddPCR is technically feasible and provide ground for future research on ctDNA quantification for the use of diagnostic biomarkers in the posttreatment surveillance of HNSCC patients.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-017-3424-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Local resectability assessment of head and neck cancer: Positron emission tomography/MRI versus positron emission tomography/CT

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of positron emission tomography (PET)/MRI with PET/CT for local resectability of head and neck cancer.

METHODS

Sequential contrast-enhanced PET/CT-MRI was performed in 58 patients referred for the staging or restaging of head and neck cancer. Tumors were assessed with PET/CT and PET/MRI for the presence of resectability-defining factors: T4b status (mediastinal invasion, invasion of the prevertebral space, and vascular encasement), and another 8 findings that would imply obstacles for surgical cure (invasion of the laryngeal cartilage, invasion of the preepiglottic fat pad, perineural spread, orbital invasion, bone infiltration, skull base invasion, dural infiltration, and invasion of the brachial plexus).

RESULTS

The sensitivity/specificity/accuracy of local resectability-defining factors of PET/CT and PET/MRI was 0.92/0.99/0.98 and 0.98/0.99/0.99 (P = .727), respectively, per lesion, and 0.96/0.87/0.91 and 0.96/0.90/0.93 (P = .687), respectively, per patient.

CONCLUSION

Both contrast-enhanced PET/MRI and contrast-enhanced PET/CT can serve as reliable examinations for defining local resectability of head and neck cancer.

Correlation between PET-CT maximum standardized uptake value and HER2 expression in gastric carcinoma

AIM: To investigate the relationship between the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression in gastric carcinoma.

METHODS: Sixty-one patients who underwent PET-CT at our hospital and had pathologically proven gastric adenocarcinoma were included, and SUVmax was measured. HER2 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry. The correlation between SUVmax and HER2 expression was analyzed statistically.

RESULTS: Of all the patients, 28 were positive for HER2, with a positive rate of 49.12%. The SUVmax for the HER2 positive group was 4.6448 ± 3.18597, which was significantly higher than that for the HER2 negative group (P = 0.000). There was a moderate positive correlation between SUVmax and HER2, and the correlation coefficient was 0.581. According to the ROC analysis, the area under the curve of SUVmax was 0.83. Taking 5.800 as the threshold of SUVmax, the corresponding sensitivity and specificity were 82.1% and 79.8%, respectively.

CONCLUSION: There is a moderate correlation between SUVmax and HER2 in gastric adenocarcinoma, and SUVmax can help assess the biological characteristics of gastric cancer.