The value of cystoscopy and intravenous urography after magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography in the staging of cervical carcinoma

Impact of PET/CT Imaging with FDG in Locally Advanced Cervical Carcinoma-A Literature Review

Positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) have evolved as a pivotal diagnostic modality in the field of oncology. With its increasing application in staging and ready availability, it becomes imperative for committed radiation oncologists to possess a complete analysis and understanding of integration of molecular imaging, which can be helpful for radiation planning, while also acknowledging its possible limitations and challenges. A significant obstacle lies in the synthesis and design of tumor-specific bmolecules for diagnosing and treating cancer. The utilization of radiation in medical biochemistry and biotechnology, encompassing diagnosis, therapy, and control of biological systems, is encapsulated under the umbrella term "nuclear medicine". Notably, the application of various radioisotopes in pharmaceutics has garnered significant attention, particularly in the realm of delivery systems for drugs, DNA, and imaging agents. The present article provides a comprehensive review of use of novel techniques PET and CT with major positron-emitting radiopharmaceuticals currently in progress or utilized in clinical practice with their integration into imaging and radiation therapy.

Utility of CT Scan in Detecting Bladder Involvement Among Patients With Cervical Carcinoma

Background Cervical cancer is a widespread health issue in India, particularly affecting women as the second most common cancer. The burden of cervical cancer in the country necessitates accurate staging for treatment optimization. The revised International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system is vital for this purpose, emphasizing the extent of parametrial and pelvic sidewall involvement. Cervical cancer's propensity to infiltrate neighboring pelvic organs, including the bladder, necessitates precise staging. In India, traditional methods like cystoscopy have been relied upon, but they have limitations. Recent advancements in medical imaging, notably the increased use of computed tomography (CT) scans, provide a non-invasive alternative for staging and evaluating bladder involvement. This study aimed to evaluate the utility and accuracy of CT scans in assessing bladder involvement. Methods This cross-sectional study examined 127 newly diagnosed cervical carcinoma cases in women over a two-year period from August 2021 to July 2023. Patients underwent CT scans (plain) and cystoscopy, and bladder involvement was determined following the revised FIGO staging. Data collected comprised patient demographics, medical history, clinical symptoms, and FIGO staging. Cystoscopy was performed using an Olympus CYF-5 flexible cystoscope, and CT scans utilized a 64-slice multidetector CT scanner. Radiological reports detailed primary tumor characteristics and proximity to the bladder. Statistical analysis encompassed descriptive statistics, and calculation of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for CT scans in comparison to cystoscopy. Statistical significance was considered at p < 0.05. Results In our study, the mean participant age was 45.3 years, with 61.4% falling in the 40-60 years age group. Socioeconomic status (SES) varied, with 37.8% classified as low SES, 48.8% as middle SES, and 13.4% as high SES. Parity data showed that 76.4% had three or more pregnancies. Among presenting symptoms, abnormal vaginal bleeding (65.4%) was the most prevalent, and squamous cell carcinoma (78.7%) was the predominant histological type. The prevalence of bladder involvement was 9.4% by cystoscopy and 30.7% by CT scans. CT scan demonstrated a high sensitivity (100%) but lower specificity (76.52%), with 78.80% overall accuracy. Conclusion A combined approach, using CT scans as a screening tool and cystoscopy as a confirmatory method, could provide the most comprehensive and reliable assessment of bladder involvement in cervical carcinoma patients, ultimately contributing to improved patient care and management.

Assessment of Salvage Surgery in Persistent Cervical Cancer after Definitive Radiochemotherapy: A Systematic Review

Background and Objectives: The standard treatment approach in locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) is exclusive concurrent chemoradiation therapy (RTCT). The risk of local residual disease after six months from RTCT is about 20-30%. It is directly related to relapse risk and poor survival, such as in patients with recurrent cervical cancer. This systematic review aims to describe studies investigating salvage surgery's role in persistent/recurrent disease in LACC patients who underwent definitive RTCT. Materials and Methods: Studies were eligible for inclusion when patients had LACC with radiologically suspected or histologically confirmed residual disease after definitive RTCT, diagnosed with post-treatment radiological workup or biopsy. Information on complications after salvage surgery and survival outcomes had to be reported. The methodological quality of the articles was independently assessed by two researchers with the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Following the recommendations in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, we systematically searched the PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Medline, and Medscape databases in May 2022. We applied no language or geographical restrictions but considered only English studies. We included studies containing data about postoperative complications and survival outcomes. Results: Eleven studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and all were retrospective observational studies. A total of 601 patients were analyzed concerning the salvage surgery in LACC patients for persistent/recurrent disease after RTCT treatment. Overall, 369 (61.4%) and 232 (38.6%) patients underwent a salvage hysterectomy (extrafascial or radical) and pelvic exenteration (anterior, posterior, or total), respectively. Four hundred and thirty-nine (73%) patients had histologically confirmed the residual disease in the salvage surgical specimen, and 109 patients had positive margins (overall range 0-43% of the patients). The risk of severe (grade ≥ 3) postoperative complications after salvage surgery is 29.8% (range 5-57.5%). After a median follow-up of 38 months, the overall RR was about 32% with an overall death rate of 40% after hysterectomy or pelvic exenteration with or without lymphadenectomy. Conclusions: There is heterogeneity between the studies both in their design and results, therefore the effect of salvage surgery on survival and recurrence cannot be adequately estimated. Future homogeneous studies with an appropriately selected population are needed to analyze the safety and efficacy of salvage hysterectomy or pelvic exenteration in patients with residual tumors after definitive RTCT.

Correlation of clinical staging and MRI staging for cervical cancer

Background

Cervical cancer is a major public health problem for women. Accurate staging may lead to proper management of cervical cancer. We retrospectively reviewed all patients with cervical cancer who underwent pre-treatment MRI between January 2009 and December 2018 and analyzed the correlation between the clinical staging and MRI staging.

Results

Correlation of overall clinical and MRI staging by percent agreement is moderate (73.9%), but the kappa coefficient showed a slight correlation. The correlation of clinical and MRI findings in the vaginal invasion, pelvic sidewall invasion, adjacent pelvic organ invasion, and spreading to distant organ also showed moderate-to-strong correlation by percent agreement (ranging from 67.6 to 91.9%) but slight correlation between clinical and MRI examinations by kappa or weighted kappa coefficient (K = 0.000–0.128w).

Conclusion

In patients with cervical cancer, pretreatment MRI provides higher spatial soft tissue resolution which can define pelvic tumor extent, including a more accurate assessment of tumor size (due to multiplanar evaluation), parametrial invasion, pelvic sidewall invasion, and adjacent pelvic organ invasion. This could potentially lead to a reduction in staging morbidity by invasive investigation such as cystoscopy and proctoscopy.

Indications for endoscopy according to the revised FIGO staging for cervical cancer after MRI and CT scanning

Objective

A recent revision of the FIGO staging system does not recommend the mandatory use of cystoscopy and sigmoidoscopy. The objective of this study was to assess the clinical utility of CT or MRI scans for ruling out bladder or rectal invasion and determine the indication for endoscopy in patients with cervical cancer.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 769 patients with cervical cancer, who underwent imaging and endoscopic work-up between January 1997 and December 2010. Using endoscopy as the standard reference for comparison, we calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of the imaging modality for bladder or rectal invasion.

Results

The CT scan showed 68.2% and 85.7% for sensitivity and 96.4% and 98.9% for specificity in detecting bladder and rectal invasion, respectively. CT scan provided a low PPV (51.7%, 54.5%) and a high NPV (98.2%, 99.8%). MRI scan showed 88.0% and 75.0% for sensitivity and 93.1% and 98.9% for specificity in detecting bladder and rectal invasion, respectively. MRI scan provided a low PPV (35.6%, 42.9%) and a high NPV (99.4%, 99.7%). The accuracies of CT and MRI scans in identifying bladder invasion were 94.9% and 92.8%, respectively. The accuracies of CT and MRI in identifying rectal invasion were 98.7% and 98.6%, respectively.

Conclusion

The results of this study demonstrate that additional invasive endoscopy is not necessary for patients who present with no invasion on imaging work-up, and therefore, endoscopy should be considered a tool for confirming cases that are positive for invasion based on imaging work-up.

Prognostic significance of MRI-detected bladder muscle and/or serosal invasion in patients with cervical cancer treated with radiotherapy

In cervical cancer, the prognostic significance of bladder wall invasion on MRI without pathological evidence of mucosal invasion is not known. From 454 consecutive patients with cervical cancer who were treated with radiation, we reviewed images and analysed the outcome of 92 patients with the Federation of International Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IIIB-IVA. We analysed the patients in three groups, normal, wall (muscle and/or serosal) invasion and mucosal invasion, according to the findings on the MRI. Kaplan-Meier life table analysis and the log-rank test were used to assess the survival rates and differences according to prognostic factors. MRI detected abnormalities in the bladder wall in 42 patients (45.6%): wall invasion in 24 and mucosal invasion in 18. 5 of 18 patients, suspected on MRI to have mucosal invasion, showed no pathological evidence of mucosal invasion. Median follow-up period was 34 months. 3-year cause-specific survival (CSS) in the normal group compared with the wall invasion group was 76.2% vs 71.4% (p = 0.48). 3-year CSS for the wall invasion group compared with the mucosal invasion group was 71.4% vs 54.3% (p = 0.04). Mucosal invasion on MRI (p = 0.03) and concurrent chemoradiotherapy (p = 0.01) was significant for CSS. The prognosis for patients with cervical cancer with evidence of muscle and/or serosal invasion of the bladder on MRI may not differ from that for patients without abnormality on MRI. In patients with the MRI finding of bladder mucosal invasion, further studies should be conducted regarding the role of cystoscopy to determine the need for pathological confirmation.

Early invasive cervical cancer: MRI and CT predictors of lymphatic metastases in the ACRIN 6651/GOG 183 intergroup study

PURPOSE

To compare MRI, CT, clinical exam and histopathological analysis for predicting lymph node involvement in women with cervical carcinoma, verified by lymphadenectomy.

METHODS

A 25-center ACRIN/GOG study enrolled 208 patients with biopsy-proven invasive cervical cancer for MRI and CT prior to attempted curative radical hysterectomy. Each imaging study was interpreted prospectively by one onsite radiologist, and retrospectively by 4 independent offsite radiologists, all blinded to surgical, histopathological and other imaging findings. Likelihood of parametrial and uterine body involvement was rated on a 5-point scale. Tumor size measurements were attempted in 3 axes. Association with histologic lymph node involvement, scored as absent, pelvic only and common iliac or paraaortic, was evaluated using Cochran-Mantel Haenszel statistics, univariate and multivariate logistic regression, generalized estimating equations, accuracy statistics and ROC analysis.

RESULTS

Lymphatic metastases were found in 34% of women; 13% had common iliac nodal metastases, and 9% had paraortic nodal metastases. Based on the retrospective multi-observer re-reads, the average AUC for predicting histologic lymph node involvement based on tumor size was higher for MRI versus CT, although formal statistic comparisons could not be conducted. Multivariate analysis showed improved model fit incorporating predictors from MRI, but not from CT, over and above the initial clinical and biopsy predictors, although the increase in discriminatory ability was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

MRI findings may help predict the presence of histologic lymph node involvement in women with early invasive cervical carcinoma, thus providing important prognostic information.

Early invasive cervical cancer: tumor delineation by magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and clinical examination, verified by pathologic results, in the ACRIN 6651/GOG 183 Intergroup Study

PURPOSE

To compare magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and clinical examination for delineating early cervical cancer and for measuring tumor size.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A 25-center study enrolled 208 patients with biopsy-proven invasive cervical cancer for MRI and CT before attempted curative radical hysterectomy. Each imaging study was interpreted prospectively by one onsite radiologist and retrospectively by four independent offsite radiologists, who were all blinded to surgical, histopathologic, and other imaging findings. Likelihood of cervical stromal and uterine body involvement was rated on a 5-point scale. Tumor size measurements were attempted in three axes. Surgical pathology was the standard of reference.

RESULTS

Neither MRI nor CT was accurate for evaluating cervical stroma. For uterine body involvement, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was higher for MRI than for CT for both prospective (0.80 v 0.66, respectively; P = .01) and retrospective (0.68 v 0.57, respectively; P = .02) readings. Retrospective readers could measure diameter by CT in 35% to 73% of patients and by MRI in 79% to 94% of patients. Prospective readers had the highest Spearman correlation coefficient with pathologic measurement for MRI (r(s) = 0.54), followed by CT (r(s) = 0.45) and clinical examination (r(s) = 0.37; P < .0001 for all). Spearman correlation of multiobserver diameter measurements for MRI (r(s) = 0.58; P < .0001) was double that for CT (r(s) = 0.27; P = .03).

CONCLUSION

In patients with cervical cancer, MRI is superior to CT and clinical examination for evaluating uterine body involvement and measuring tumor size, but no method was accurate for evaluating cervical stroma.

Can MRI rule out bladder and rectal invasion in cervical cancer to help select patients for limited EUA?

OBJECTIVES

Although invasion of the bladder or rectum is rare in cervical carcinoma, endoscopic assessment of both organs is part of the standard FIGO clinical staging system, with associated increase in cost and risk of complications. Our objective was to evaluate whether MRI could be used to select patients who did not require invasive staging of the bladder or rectum.

METHODS

Two observers, blinded to the results of cystoscopy and endoscopic examination of the rectum, retrospectively reviewed the MR images of 112 patients with cervical carcinoma. A 5-point invasion score was used to determine bladder and rectal invasion (1 = no invasion, 5 = definite invasion). A confidence score of 3 or above was used to identify patients with possible bladder or rectal involvement. The results of cystoscopy and endoscopic examination of the rectum were recorded and correlated with the MR findings.

RESULTS

MRI was negative for both bladder and rectal invasion in 94/112 patients. Cystoscopy and endoscopic examination of the rectum were confirmed to be normal in all 94 cases. MRI identified 12 patients with possible rectal invasion, 2 confirmed at endoscopy. MRI identified 14 patients with possible bladder invasion, one confirmed at cystoscopy. Using a low threshold cut-off score of >3 to predict invasion resulted in a 100% negative predictive value (NPV) in detection of bladder and rectal invasion.

CONCLUSION

The absence of bladder or rectal invasion can be diagnosed with sufficient confidence using an MRI scoring system to safely obviate the need for invasive cystoscopic or endoscopic staging in the majority of patients with cervical cancer. This could potentially lead to a reduction in staging costs and morbidity.