Correlation of clinical and MRI staging in cervical carcinoma treated with radiation therapy: a single-center experience.
OBJECTIVE
To correlate clinical and MRI findings in patients with cervical carcinoma treated with radiation therapy (RT).


METHODS
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.


RESULTS
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).


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Engin
Gülgün
G
Department of Radiology, İstanbul University İstanbul Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey. gengin@istanbul.edu.tr
Küçücük
Seden
S
Ölmez
Hatice
H
Haşıloğlu
Zehra Işık
ZI
Dişçi
Rian
R
Aslay
Işık
I
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy*