Hypoxia imaging with [18F]HX4 PET in squamous cell head and neck cancers: a pilot study for integration into treatment planning.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Radical chemoradiotherapy is the primary treatment for head and neck cancers in many hospitals. Tumour hypoxia causes radiotherapy resistance and is an indicator of poor prognosis for patients. Identifying hypoxia to select patients for intensified or hypoxia-modified treatment regimens is therefore of high clinical importance.

Patients and methods

We evaluated hypoxia in a group of patients with newly diagnosed squamous cell head and neck cancer using the hypoxia-selective radiotracer [F]HX4. Patients underwent a single [F]HX4 PET/computed tomography scan prior to beginning chemoradiotherapy.

Results

Three out of eight patients recruited were scanned with [F]HX4. Two out of three had pretreatment [F]FDG PET/computed tomography scans available for review. [

SUBMITTER: Betts HM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6282932 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature