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Objective To determine the relationship between tumor glucose metabolism and tumor blood flow (TBF) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods We retrospectively analyzed 57 HNSCC patients. Tumor glucose metabolism was assessed by maximum and mean standardized uptake values (SUVmax and SUVmean) obtained by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography. TBF values were obtained by arterial spin labeling with 3-tesla MRI. The correlations between both SUVs and TBF were assessed in the total series and among patients divided by T-stage (T1–T3 and T4 groups) and tumor location (pharynx/oral cavity and sinonasal cavity groups). Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated for significant correlations. Results Significant correlations were detected: a negative correlation in the advanced T-stage group (TBF and SUV max: r, −0.61, SUVmean: r, −0.62), a positive correlation in the non-advanced T-stage pharynx/oral cavity group (TBF and SUVmax: r, 0.70, SUVmean: r, 0.73), a negative correlation in the advanced T-stage pharynx/oral cavity group (TBF and SUVmax: r, −0.62, SUVmean: r, −0.65), and a negative correlation in the advanced T-stage sinonasal cavity group (TBF and SUVmax: r, −0.61, SUVmean: r, −0.65). Conclusion Significant correlations between glucose uptake and TBF in HNSCC were revealed by the division of T-stage and tumor location.

Objective: Late toxicity after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), such as dysphagia, in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck has received a good deal of attention recently. The gastrostomy tube (G-tube) dependence rate 1 year after CCRT was reported to be 16.7-42.9% in Western countries. We evaluated swallowing outcomes after CCRT in patients with hypopharyngeal cancer (HPC) treated in our hospital and compared them with previous reports. Methods: We reviewed 96 consecutive patients with a HPC treated by radiotherapy with intravenous or intra-arterial chemotherapy between 2006 and 2013 at Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan. Results: At 1 month after CCRT, 13 patients (13.7%) used a G-tube, whereas 5/91 (5.5%) and 4/81 (4.9%) used a G-tube at 3 and 6 months, respectively. Two patients used a G-tube at 12 and 24 months after CCRT (G-tube use rate: 2.8% at 12 months, and 3.2% at 24 months). The variables female, posterior wall primary, stage IV, ECOG performance status of 2, and smoking status were significantly associated with G-tube use at 12 months after CCRT, whereas the route of cisplatin administration was not related to G-tube use (p = 0.303). Conclusions: The G-tube use rate up to 1year could be lower in Japanese patients than in Western patients according to previous reports. In particular, Japanese patients resume oral intake sooner than Western patients. Further study of the incidence of dysphagia after CCRT by ethnicity is required to clarify the differences in dysphagia after CCRT.