Whole-body 18FDG PET plus pelvic MRI in the pre-treatment assessment of cervical cancers: an alternative to the FIGO clinical staging

Abstract

Growing evidence indicates that whole-body 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (wb-18 FDG PET) plus pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (pMRI) may significantly improve the pre-treatment staging of primary cervical cancers. Such a combined protocol provides complementary insights into primary tumour delineation, loco-regional involvement and distant spread. As such, pMRI appears particularly reliable for the accurate measurement of tumour size, the detection of parametrial invasion and, even more so, for its exclusion. So far, wb-18 FDG PET yields unique information about extra-pelvic nodal and visceral tumour status. Of note, however, is the limitation of both imaging techniques for the detection of microscopic pelvic lymph node metastases, especially in early stage disease. Promising data also highlight the prognostic value of 18 FDG uptake as a marker of disease aggressiveness and of tumour resistance to treatment. The recent development of combined PET-CT scans as well as the validation of the sentinel node concept in gynaecological malignancies may grant new perspectives for optimal management of cervical cancers in the pre-treatment setting.