ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Uterine cervical carcinoma is the most common cancer in Korean women. We evaluated the accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in determining the stage and extent of disease in cervical carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 1994 through December 1996, in all 35 patients, MR imaging was performed before any operative procedure. With a 1.5T superconducting magnet, TR (repetition time)/TE (echo time) of 483/9msec for T1-weighted images and 3750/98msec for T2-weighted images were used. All patients underwent radical hysterectomy or total abdominal hysterectomy and had detailed histologic evaluation. MR image were reviewed and compared with pathologic findings on the presence of tumor size, depth of stromal invasion and vagina extension. RESULTS: The accuracy of MRI in determination of stage was 74%. Its accuracy was 60% for the assessment of tumor size. Tumor size was underestimated in 6 patients (17%) and overestimated in 8 patients (23%). Tumor infiltration into the stroma was classified as no, partial, complete. The accuracy of MRI in cervical stromal invasion was 66%. CONCLUSION: MR is a relatively promising method for staging and evaluating extent of disease in carcinoma of the uterine cervix.