Table 1. Characteristics of Included Studies.
| First Author (Publication Year) (Ref.) | Affiliated Institute | Study Period | No. of Patients | Mean Age, Year (Range) | Primary Tumor Location | Stage | Treatment | Outcome | Target Lesion | Timing of MRI | Follow-Up Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galbán (2009) (38) | University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA | N/A | 15 | N/A | Oropharynx (12), nasopharynx (1), hypopharynx (1), unknown (1) | T1/2 (9), T3/4 (5), Tx (1), N0/1 (1), N2/3 (14) | CCRT | CR/PR | Primary tumor and lymph node | 1 week before treatment, 3 weeks after initiation of treatment | 6 months after initiation of treatment |
| Hatakenaka (2011) (30) | Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan | 2006–2008 | 17 | 64 (37–85) | Oropharynx (7), hypopharynx (8), larynx (1), oral cavity (1) | T1/2 (7), T3/4 (10), N0/1 (5), N2/3 (12) | CCRT (13), RT (4) | Local control/failure | Primary tumor | 8 days before treatment, 1 week after initiation of treatment | Local failure (4.6 months), local control (23.6 months) |
| 2006–2009 | 40 | 64 (37–85) | Oropharynx (15), hypopharynx (19), larynx (4), oral cavity (2) | T1/2 (21), T3/4 (19), N0/1 (14), N2/3 (26) | CCRT (35), RT (5) | Local control/failure | Primary tumor | Local failure (4.9 months), local control (16.4 months) | |||
| Kim (2009) (28) | University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA | 2005–2007 | 33 | 61 (N/A) | Oropharynx (21), larynx (7), unknown (5) | T0 (1), T1/2 (10), T3/4 (15), Tx (7), N0/1 (2), N2/3 (31) | CCRT (26), RT + immunotherapy (7) | CR/PR | Lymph node | Before treatment, 1 week after initiation of treatment, 2 weeks after completion of treatment | 2 weeks after termination of treatment |
| King (2013) (34) | Hong Kong Cancer Institute and Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China | 2004–2008 | 37 | 57 (45–71) | Oral cavity or oropharynx (14), nasal cavity (2), hypopharynx or larynx (20), maxillary sinus (1) | T1/2 (9), T3/4 (28) | CCRT (33), RT (4) | Local control/failure | Primary tumor | Before treatment, 2 weeks after initiation of treatment, 6, 12, 18, 24 months after completion of treatment | Local failure (3.8 months), local control (43.9 months) |
| Lombardi (2017) (26) | Maggiore della Carita University Hospital, University of Eastern Piedmont, Corso Mazzini, Novara, Italy | 2010–2014 | 47 | 59 (N/A) | Nasopharynx (23), oropharynx (19), hypopharynx (5) | T1/2 (14), T3/4 (33), N0/1 (21), N2/3 (26) | CCRT (39), neoadjuvant CTx + RT (8) | Local control/disease recurrence or persistence | Primary tumor | Before treatment | Disease recurrence or persistence (3–20 months), local control (10–36 months) |
| Marzi (2017) (25) | Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Via Elio Chianesi, Rome, Italy | 2010–2013 | 34 | 54.5 (28–79) | Oropharynx (14), nasopharynx (13), hypopharynx or larynx (6), unknown (1) | T0/1/2 (21), T3/4 (13), N1/2 (29), N3 (5) | CCRT | Regional control/failure | Lymph node | Before treatment, 16–17 days after initiation of treatment, immediately and 8 weeks after completion of treatment, per 6 months for 2 years, then annually | Regional failure (6.8 months), regional control (27.6 months) |
| Matoba (2014) (9) | Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan | 2008–2012 | 35 | 66.5 (33–79) | Oropharynx (9), larynx (10), supraglottis (3), hypopharynx (9), oral cavity (4) | T1/2 (15), T3/4 (20), N0/1 (10), N2/3 (25) | CCRT | Locoregional control/failure | Primary tumor and lymph node | Before treatment, 3 weeks after initiation of treatment, then per 6 months | 30.8 months |
| Ng (2014) (24) | Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Kueishan, Taoyuan, Taiwan | 2010–2012 | 69 | 50 (39–78) | Oropharynx (37), hypopharynx (32) | III (3), IVA (50), IVB (16) | CCRT | Neck control/failure | Lymph node | Before, 3 months after completion of treatment, then per 6 months | 31 months |
| Ng (2014) (24) | Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Kueishan, Taoyuan, Taiwan | 2010–2012 | 69 | 50 (39–78) | Oropharynx (37), hypopharynx (32) | III (3), IVA (50), IVB (16) | CCRT | Neck control/failure | Lymph node | Before, 3 months after completion of treatment, then per 6 months | 31 months |
| Paudyal (2017) (37) | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA | 2013–2015 | 34 | N/A (32–82) | Oropharynx (32), unknown (2) | III (2), IVA (32) | CCRT (33), RT (1) | CR/non-CR | Lymph node | Before treatment, 1, 2, and 3 weeks after initiation of treatment | 3–6 months after termination of treatment |
| Schouten (2014) (36) | VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands | N/A | 8 | 60.9 (51–68) | Oropharynx (7), hypopharynx (1) | T2 (3), T3/4 (5), N1 (1), N2/3 (7) | CCRT | Regional control/ failure | Primary tumor and lymph node | Before treatment, 14 days after initiation of treatment, per 3 months after completion of treatment | 38 months |
| Wong (2016) (35) | Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton and London, UK | 2013–2015 | 20 | 63 (47–69) | Oropharynx (18), hypopharynx/ larynx (2) | T1/2 (11), T3/4 (9), N0/1 (2), N2/3 (18) | Induction CTx + CCRT | Responder/ nonresponder | Primary tumor and lymph node | 2 weeks after initiation of treatment | 3 months after termination of treatment |
CCRT = concurrent chemoradiation therapy, CR = complete response, CTx = chemotherapy, MRI = magnetic resonance imaging, N/A = not available, PR = partial response, RT = radiation therapy