18F‐FDG PET–CT performed before and during radiation therapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Are they independent or complementary to each other?

The aims of this study are to evaluate the prognostic value of metabolic parameters derived from (18) F-FDG PET-CT performed before definitive radiation therapy (RT) (prePET) in patients with mucosal primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (MPHNSCC) and to assess the additive prognostic values of FDG PET-CT performed during RT (iPET).One hundred patients with MPHNSCC treated with radical RT underwent staging prePET and iPET performed...