Negative Second <scp>PET</scp> ‐ <scp>CT</scp> 1 Year After Treatment of Oropharyngeal Cancer Predicts Low Mortality and Recurrence

The findings of this study demonstrate that NED on PET-CT performed 1 year after the completion of treatment for oropharyngeal cancer is indicative of very low recurrence rates and almost non-existent mortality. We suggest performing a second PET-CT study at 1 year post-treatment on all patients with negative results on the first one performed at 3 months post-treatment. Negative findings on the second study may allow for a more lenient clinical follow-up protocol.