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Objectives/Hypothesis The study aimed to investigate the prognostic effects of interim 18fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) during definitive radiotherapy (RT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with head and neck cancer. Study Design This is a prospectively treatment study. Methods The pretreatment and interim PET/CT images of 51 patients with advanced pharyngeal cancers receiving definitive RT/CRT were evaluated prospectively. The interim PET/CT images were taken at a cumulative RT dose ranging from 41.4 to 46.8 Gy. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVm) of the interim PET/CT and the reduction ratio of the SUVm (SRR) between the two images were measured. The differences between patients with or without local failures were examined using the Mann-Whitney test. Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and primary and nodal relapse-free survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Independent prognosticators were identified using Cox regression analysis. Results After a median follow-up duration of 23 months, a higher interim SUVm was associated with local failures. Conducting a multivariate analysis revealed that a SUVmax reduction ratio of primary tumor (SRR-P) < 0.64 was associated with the inferior OS (hazard ratio 2.64; P =0.035) and DFS (hazard ratio 2.33; P = 0.045). Patients who had tumors with an SRR-P < 0.64 had a considerably lower 2-year OS and DFS compared with those who had SRR-P ≥ 0.64 (47% vs. 66%; 41% vs. 64%). Conclusion A higher interim SUVm was associated with local recurrence. In addition, patients with a lower SRR-P should be considered to be at risk of primary failure. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 124:2732-2738, 2014 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND The current study aimed to evaluate whether therapy-related changes occurred in brain metabolism at an earlier stage during the course of anticancer therapy. METHODS We recruited 14 non-diabetic male patients with newly diagnosed pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. We analyzed the patients' serial brain FDG PET/CT scans by SPM8 to establish whether any therapy-related changes had occurred in brain FDG metabolism, either during or after the course of therapy. RESULTS Decreased metabolism was noted during the anticancer therapy, displaying a symmetric pattern involving bilateral basal ganglia and bilateral occipital lobes. The decrease in FDG metabolism in these regions persisted after the anticancer therapy had terminated. However, relative recovery of the metabolism was noted in the bilateral occipital lobes, whereas further deterioration was noted in bilateral basal ganglia. CONCLUSIONS The current study revealed that unappreciable changes in brain metabolism can occur during the early course of anticancer therapy, and persist even after therapy has terminated. Although the exact mechanism remains unclear, these changes may be related to the systemic effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy as well as subclinical cancer-related depressive or adjustment mood disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purpose of our study was aimed to analyze the sex- and age-related differences of brain metabolism in healthy individuals. METHODS Consecutive 100 healthy subjects, 50 males and 50 females, undergoing routine 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) for health checkup in our hospital were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was used for analyses of the FDG PET images to disclose the possible effects of age on brain metabolism in males and females as well as the differences of brain metabolism between male and female groups. RESULTS In males and females, decreased brain metabolism with aging is found in bilateral lateral orbital prefrontal and right anterior cingulate cortices. In comparisons between sexes, males are found to have more brain metabolism than females in bilateral visual cortices and cerebellum. CONCLUSIONS Our report discloses different sex- and age-related brain metabolism. Decreased brain metabolism with aging in males and females is similar to findings reported in previous literatures. However, whether declined brain function or volume with aging causing metabolic changes is unknown and should be further evaluated. Nevertheless, the sex-related differences are possibly compatible with the historical observation of better performance in visual-spatial tasks in males than females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]