Imaging tumors of the central nervous system and extracranial head and neck

Both CT and MRI address the pertinent clinical issues in the management of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract and neck, and are crucial to staging, treatment, and follow-up. By combining the clinical assessment of primary mucosal extent with the objective information provided by CT or MRI about deep tissue extension of the primary tumor and any nodal metastases, accurate assessment of the actual pretreatment primary tumor and nodal stages is possible. With this objective picture of tumor extent, decisions about surgery and radiotherapy can be made for primary and recurrent tumors, as well as for nodal metastases.