Response assessment of post-treatment head and neck cancers to determine further management using NI-RADS (Neck Imaging Reporting and Data System): a subgroup analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Interpreting complex post-treatment changes in head and neck cancer (HNC) is challenging with further added perplexity due to variable interobserver interpretation and hence evolved the NI-RADS lexicon. We evaluated the accuracy of NI-RADS in predicting disease status on 1st post-treatment follow-up CECT in a homogenous cohort of those who received only chemoradiation.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of imaging was done for LASHNC patients who received radical chemoradiation in an open-label, investigator-initiated, phase 3 randomized trial (2012-2018) randomly assigned to either radical radiotherapy with concurrent weekly cisplatin (CRT) or CRT with the same schedule plus weekly nimotuzumab (NCRT).