The Predictive Value of Early Assessment After 1 Cycle of Induction Chemotherapy with ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT and Diffusion-Weighted MRI for Response to Radical Chemoradiotherapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Our preliminary data indicate that the ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT-derived metabolic tumor volume or total lesion glycolysis, acquired after IC1, are early predictive biomarkers for ultimate response to subsequent chemoradiotherapy. These early biomarkers enable identification of patients at risk of treatment failure at an early time point, permitting treatment individualization and consideration of alternative strategies such as radiotherapy dose escalation or surgery.