MRI predicts lymph node involvementin cervical cancer better than CT

MRI can predict the presence of lymph node involvement in women with early invasive cervical cancer, according to a study in Gynecologic Oncology.

The ACRIN/GOG study enrolled 208 patients with biopsy-proven invasive cervical cancer. Each patient was imaged with CT and MRI prospectively by one onsite radiologist and retrospectively by four independent offsite radiologists. All were blinded to surgical, histopathological, and other imaging findings.

The researchers found lymphatic metastases in 34% of women; 13% had common iliac nodal metastases, and 9% had paraortic nodal metastases. Accurate prediction of histologic lymph node involvement based on tumor size was higher for MRI than for CT, they found.

The study was conducted by Dr. Donald G. Mitchell and colleagues at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia (2009;112[1]: 95-103).