The role of FDG PET in management of neck metastasis from head-and-neck cancer after definitive radiation treatment

Conclusion: For patients who have no evidence of residual lymphadenopathy and a negative FDG PET scan 12 weeks after definitive radiation, neck dissection can be safely withheld. Even in cases in which small residual lymphadenopathy was observed, regional recurrences have not occurred when the post-RT PET scan was negative and neck dissection was withheld. For patients with large residual lymphadenopathy (greater than 2.0-3.0 cm in size) but a negative post-RT FDG PET, further studies with longer follow-up are necessary to determine the appropriateness of withholding neck dissection.