Differentiation of benign from malignant cervical lymph nodes in patients with head and neck cancer using PET/CT imaging

Purpose To differentiate malignant from benign cervical lymph nodes in patients with head/neck cancer. Methods In this retrospective study, 39 patients with primary head/neck cancer who underwent Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Computerized Tomography (CT) and image-guided lymph node biopsy were included. Results Overall, 23 (59%) patients had biopsy-proven malignant cervical lymphadenopathy. Malignant lymph nodes had higher maximum standardized uptake (SUV-max) value (P<.001) and short-axis diameter (P=.015) compared to benign nodes. An SUV-max of ≥2.5 was 100% sensitive, and an SUV-max ≥5.5 was 100% specific for malignant lymphadenopathy. Conclusion The PET/CT SUV-max value can help with differentiation of malignant cervical lymph nodes in patients with head/neck cancer.