Influence of 18F-FDG-PET/CT on staging of cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers of the female reproductive system. The aim of the study was to assess the usefulness of the ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT study in staging of cervical cancer, with focus on the primary tumor parameters.

105 patients (mean age 56 ± 11y) with newly diagnosed cervical cancer underwent PET/CT examination which was performed 60 min after IV injection of ¹⁸F-FDG with a mean activity of 364 ± 75MBq. 68 patients were diagnosed with stage IIIA/IIIB, 19 patients with IIB, 10 patients with IB, 8 patients with stage IVA/IVB. Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test and ROC curves were used for statistical analysis.

In 35 cases ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT did not show active proliferative process outside the cervix. In 38 cases metastases were found in iliac lymph nodes and in 32 patients scans showed metastases above the aortic bifurcation including lymph nodes and other organs. The largest volumes of primary tumor occurred in patients with distant metastases, while the lowest in patients with disease limited only to cervix. In 63 % of the patients PET/CT result was compatible with FIGO classification, in 20 % patients PET/CT result showed less advanced disease and in 17 % of the patients PET/CT results were higher than FIGO classification.

PET/CT using ¹⁸F-FDG has an important impact on the assessment of the stage of cervical cancer. In over 30 % of patients, this study resulted in a radical change in the treatment plan.