title: Nodal involvement evaluation in advanced cervical cancer: a single institutional experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the usefulness of different imaging techniques in the detection of nodal involvement in patients with advanced cervical carcinoma. Moreover, to analyze the correlation between the presurgical (FIGO) and postsurgical (pTNM) staging classifications.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer (FIGO Stages IIB-IV) from 2005 to 2012 were selected. The medical charts of 51 patients that underwent presurgical assessment with posterior surgical staging by means of para-aortic lymphadenectomy, were reviewed. Nodal status assessment by computed tomography scan (CT scan), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and sonography was compared, as well as the size given in imaging techniques compared to the final pathologic report information.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Presurgical analysis by CT scan, MRI, PET, and sonography showed pelvic nodal involvement in 51.3% of patients, and para-aortic involvement in 30.8% of cases. CT scan showed positive pelvic nodes in 35% of cases, but pathologic confirmation was observed in just 17.6% of cases. However, MRI resulted in higher rates of up to 48.8% of cases. Concerning para-aortic nodal involvement, CT scan showed positive nodes in 25% of cases, MRI in 3.2% of cases, and the pathologic report in 15.6% of cases. The authors found significant differences between staging groups among both classifications (FIGO vs. pTNM; p < 0.001). Eight cases (15.7%) were understaged by FIGO classification.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite all imaging techniques available, none has demonstrated to be efficient enough to avoid the systematic study of para-aortic nodal status by means of surgical evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Gynecologic Oncology Unit, La Pat University Hospital, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Benitez
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zapardiel
authors.forename: P I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Salas
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Diestro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hernandez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Santiago
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*