PET Imaging of Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancers

PET Clin. 2022 Apr;17(2):223-234. doi: 10.1016/j.cpet.2021.12.005. Epub 2022 Mar 4.

Abstract

Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) plays an important role in the staging, treatment planning, treatment response assessment, detecting recurrent disease, and predicting prognosis in patients with oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. PET/CT has advantage especially in the detection of nodal, distant metastatic disease and second primary malignancy. PET/MR provides superior soft tissue contrast while decreasing radiation exposure, which is advantageous in evaluation of the primary tumor.

Keywords: FDG PET; Neoplasm; Oral cavity cancer; Oropharyngeal cancer; PET/CT; Staging.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Humans
  • Mouth / diagnostic imaging
  • Mouth / pathology
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Oropharyngeal Neoplasms* / diagnostic imaging
  • Oropharyngeal Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography
  • Positron-Emission Tomography / methods
  • Radiopharmaceuticals

Substances

  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18