DCE-MRI as a Predictor of Outcome in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients with Nodal Metastases

A. Shukla-Dave¹, N. Y. Lee¹, J. F. Jansen¹, H. T. Thaler¹, H. E. Stambuk¹, M. G. Fury¹, E. Sherman¹, S. Karimi¹, Y. Wang¹, D. Kraus¹, S. G. Patel¹, J. P. Shah¹, D. G. Pfister¹, J. A. Koutcher¹

Currently one of the greatest challenges in the management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is to identify and select prior to therapy, patients who are likely to fail the chosen treatment, for consideration of alternative risk adjusted therapies. The present study assesses whether pretreatment DCE-MRI parameters can reliably predict outcome in HNSCC patients with nodal metastases. DCE-MRI was performed in 74 patients studied prior to chemotherapy and radiation therapy (n=61) or surgery (n=13). The results suggest that skewness of Ktrans was the strongest predictor of outcome in HNSCC patients with stage IV disease.