Integrated PET/CT for the evaluation of para-aortic nodal metastasis in locally advanced cervical cancer patients with negative conventional CT findings.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of integrated 2-[18F] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for the detection of para-aortic nodal status and to test whether PET/CT change management strategy in locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) patients with negative conventional CT findings.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen locally advanced (FIGO stage IIB-IVA) cervical squamous cancer patients with negative conventional CT findings were eligible to enter this prospective study. All patients underwent firstly PET/CT scans then extraperitoneal surgical exploration for para-aortic lymphadenectomy. Based on histopathologic confirmation, the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of the PET/CT for para-aortic lymph node metastasis were estimated.

RESULTS: The median age was 48.7 (range 42-67). The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of the PET/CT were 75%, 50%, 83.3%, 50% and 83.3%, respectively. The treatment was modified in four of sixteen (25%) patients; four patients received EFRT in combination with cisplatin chemotherapy instead of standard pelvic field radiotherapy in combination with cisplatin chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION: Our results, despite our study group is small, suggest that PET/CT is an effective imaging technique in the evaluation of LACC with negative CT findings. It may help planning the management especially selecting radiation field. However, larger controlled studies are needed to recommend PET/CT as an alternative to pre-treatment surgical staging.