Distant metastases and synchronous malignancies on FDG-PET/CT in patients with head and neck cancer: a retrospective study.

Background: Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) has been proven to be a good method to detect distant spread of head and neck cancer (HNC). However, most prior studies are based on Asian populations and may not be directly transferable to western populations.

Purpose: To investigate the frequency and distribution of distant metastases and synchronous malignancies detected by PET/CT in HNC in a northern Swedish population.