Overview

KD Cancer Centre issued a press release outlining how PET‑CT imaging underpins its precision radiotherapy approach for head and neck cancers, a region described as anatomically complex with critical structures such as the spinal cord, brainstem, salivary glands, optic pathways, jawbone and major vessels situated close to tumours.

Clinical Context and Radiation Doses

The centre frequently administers very high radiation doses, commonly up to 70 Gy, to lesions that lie adjacent to radiosensitive structures like the brainstem or optic chiasm, necessitating exceptionally tight radiotherapy margins.

PET‑CT Definition and Rationale

PET‑CT combines Positron Emission Tomography, which assesses tissue pathophysiology, with Computed Tomography, which provides anatomical detail. This hybrid modality allows clinicians to visualise tumour location and metabolic activity, identifying hyper‑metabolic regions that may be missed on CT alone.

Evidence‑Based Applications in Head & Neck Cancer

  • Staging and Disease Extent: 18F‑FDG PET‑CT is used to detect distant metastases, synchronous second primaries and cancers of unknown primary, ensuring comprehensive disease mapping before treatment.
  • Radiotherapy Target Definition: By accurately defining gross tumour volume (GTV) boundaries, PET‑CT reduces inter‑ and intra‑observer variability and improves conformity to true tumour borders, enabling radiation to be confined to the biological extent of disease.
  • Response Assessment and Follow‑Up: The modality has shown a sensitivity of 95.8% and specificity of 96.7% for evaluating the irradiated neck, supporting reliable post‑treatment monitoring and decision‑making.

Integration into Treatment Planning Workflow

After imaging, PET‑CT data are fed directly into the centre’s advanced planning system. Radiation physicists and oncologists use the combined metabolic‑anatomical information to delineate target volumes for techniques such as Intensity‑Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) and other stereotactic approaches.

Emerging Roles and Future Directions

PET‑defined biological target volumes are increasingly incorporated into dose‑escalation strategies, while quantitative PET‑CT parameters are gaining recognition as predictive biomarkers for treatment response, facilitating more precise patient stratification and personalised therapy.

Organ‑Sparing and Quality‑of‑Life Considerations

By precisely targeting tumours, PET‑CT helps protect salivary glands, swallowing structures, vocal cords and facial nerves, thereby reducing the risk of long‑term complications such as xerostomia, dysphagia and hearing loss.

Multidisciplinary Collaboration

Management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma at KD Cancer Centre involves radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, diagnostic radiologists, radiation physicists and specialist nurses, all coordinated around the shared PET‑CT visual language.

Commitment Statement

The centre emphasises its investment in PET‑CT technology and expertise as a commitment to delivering the most accurate, individualised and effective treatment plans for head and neck cancer patients, asserting that precision is the standard rather than a luxury.

Disclaimer: The press release is provided under an arrangement with NRDPL; PTI assumes no editorial responsibility.