Routine PET/CT Scans Can Detect Cancer Recurrences Sooner

New research says that the routine use of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scans in head and neck cancer patient follow-up can detect local recurrences in advance of their become clinically apparent and may improve the outcome of subsequent salvage therapy — that’s according to a study presented at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium.

PET scan is a relatively new test whose use as a routine follow-up for head and neck cancer patients is considered controversial. Most head and neck cancer follow-up studies use Fluorodeoxyglucose-PET (FDG-PET) scans when recurrence is suspected, but few studies have been done to establish the value of PET scans in fixed intervals post-treatment. For more information, click here to read the full release.