Predictors of pathologic outcome of focal FDG uptake in the parotid gland identified on whole-body FDG PET imaging

PURPOSE: To test whether patient's primary malignancy type and presence of FDG-avid cervical lymph node(s) are predictors of pathologic outcome of incidental focal FDG-avid parotid lesions. BASIC PROCEDURES: Retrospective cohort study of pathologically proven incidental cases. MAIN FINDINGS: Focal parotid FDG uptake in the setting of head and neck cancer/melanoma(OR=24.6,p<0.01), lymphoma(OR=7.2,p=0.02), or FDG-avid cervical lymph node(s)(OR=3.6,p=0.07) has a higher odds of representing metastases. No malignant primary parotid tumors were incidentally discovered. PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS: In patients with head and neck cancer/melanoma, lymphoma, or FDG-avid cervical lymph node(s) there was a higher odds that focal parotid FDG uptake was a metastasis