[Significance of PET for ENT-tumors]

Significance for ENT-tumors. Molecular imaging with PET is based on the use of specific radioactive molecules as source of image contrast. In ENT-tumors mostly glucose and occasionally amino acid/protein metabolism were assessed with PET for tumor diagnosis. Thymidine salvage pathway and proliferation as well as tissue hypoxia are tested already in clinical studies and bear considerable potential for modulation of radiation ports and therapeutic response of cytoreductive regimens. This short review summarises actual clinical indications and potential of PET in ENT-tumors. For both nodal staging as well as detection of recurrent disease, sensitivity and specifity of FDG-PET were 80 - 100 %. FDG-PET proved to be superior to conventional imaging in most published studies. In CUP-syndrome the primary could be detected in 25 - 50 % of patients. Acquisition of PET and CT images in a combined scanner allow versatile PET based metabolic imaging in combination with high resolution and anatomical precise CT-based morphological imaging and thus combines advantages of both imaging modalities. Clinical as well as scientific potential of this functional metabolic and high resolution morphological imaging approach is high.