Detection Ability of (18)F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography for Clinical T Classification of Synchronous Esophageal Cancer in Pharyngeal Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The utility of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG-PET/CT) for clinical T classification of synchronous esophageal cancer (SEC) in pharyngeal cancer has not been fully elucidated. We investigated the association between (18)F-FDG-PET/CT and clinical T classification for SEC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 90 patients with pharyngeal cancer having both Lugol chromoendoscopy and (18)F-FDG-PET/CT at pretreatment. The association between (18)F-FDG-PET/CT and pathological examination was compared by the Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Pathologically, 12 patients with SEC were diagnosed. The number of locations for SEC with cT1a, cT1b, and cT3 was 20, 1, and 1, respectively. Sensitivity for cT1a-cT3, cT1b-cT3, and cT3 was 9.1%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. Locations of SEC with cT1b-cT3 were significantly detected. The locations of SEC with cT1b-cT3 were more frequently detected than those without cT1b-cT3 by (18)F-FDG-PET/CT (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Detection of SEC with clinical T1b-T3 in comparison to clinical T1a on pretreatment (18)F-FDG-PET/CT for patients with pharyngeal cancer, was achieved with high sensitivity.