Correlation of clinical and MRI staging in cervical carcinoma treated with radiation therapy: a single-center experience

• Published in: Diagnostic and interventional radiology (Ankara, Turkey) Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 44 - 51
• Main Authors: Engin, Gülgün, Küçücük, Seden, Ölmez, Hatice, Haşıloğlu, Zehra Işık, Dişçi, Rian, Aslay, Işık
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Turkey Aves Yayincilik Ltd. STI 01-03-2011
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - mortality; Adenocarcinoma - pathology; Adenocarcinoma - radiotherapy; Adult; Aged; Analysis of Variance; Biopsy, Needle; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - mortality; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - pathology; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - radiotherapy; Cohort Studies; Disease-Free Survival; Female; Humans; Lymph Nodes - pathology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Invasiveness - pathology; Neoplasm Staging - methods; Prognosis; Radiotherapy Dosage; Retrospective Studies; Risk Assessment; Survival Rate; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - mortality; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - pathology; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - radiotherapy
• ISSN: 1305-3825; 1305-3612
• DOI: 10.4261/1305-3825.DIR.3114-09.1

To correlate clinical and MRI findings in patients with cervical carcinoma treated with radiation therapy (RT).
Forty-two patients with pretreatment IB-IVA cervical carcinoma were included in this retrospective study. Pre- and post-treatment MRI findings of the patients were reevaluated and compared with clinical staging. Six-month, one-year, and two-year follow-up imaging by MR was performed for 36, 20, and 7 patients, respectively. The correlation between clinical and MRI findings was assessed by a Spearman's rho (rank correlation) test. Univariate analyses were performed to identify the prognostic significance of the tumor volume and lymph node status.
Pre-treatment correlations between MRI and clinical findings for diagnoses without parametrial invasion, with parametrial invasion, and with pelvic sidewall invasion were 71.0%, 64.7%, and 15.8%, respectively. According to the Spearman's rho (rank correlation) test, the parametrial invasion correlation was poor (r = 0.410, P < 0.01). The correlation of clinical and MRI findings at 6 months was 88.9% (r = 0.674, P < 0.0001).
In advanced cervical cancer, the correlation of clinical and MRI staging prior to neoadjuvant RT was low despite a high correspondence in the assessment of local response after RT.