Utility of CT surveillance for primary site recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Background: The literature directly comparing the utility of clinical examination (CE) to that of CT in detecting recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) for primary site recurrences is lacking.

Methods: Patients who received both CT scans and CEs after primary treatment for SCC of the upper aerodigestive tract (oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx) were identified. Individual CT scans and CEs were evaluated for their ability to detect recurrence status.