Should FDG-PET scanning be routinely used for patients with an unknown head and neck squamous primary?
Despite the high number of positive PET scans, the actual true positive rate was 3/9 (33 per cent); conversely, the true negative rate was 14/16 (88 per cent). We conclude from this study that there is a role for FDG-PET in the patient with an unknown head and neck primary, particularly in the context of a negative PET scan.
The expression of uPAR is a possible prognostic marker that could be useful in identification of patients with aggressive, highly invasive tumors that could benefit from additional chemotherapy or more intensive follow-up after cystectomy.