Comparison between gynecologic oncology ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging in the assessment of early-stage cervical cancer: A local experience in cancer imaging / Philippine Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

ABSTRACT

Objective@#This study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of gynecologic oncology ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the assessment of early-stage cervical cancer.@*Methodology@#This was a prospective, cross-sectional study of patients with early-stage cervical cancer eligible for radical hysterectomy in a tertiary government institution from November 25, 2020, to August 2, 2022. Preoperative gynecologic oncology (transabdominal/transvaginal/transrectal) ultrasound and MRI measurements were obtained and compared with histopathologic findings. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and positive likelihood ratio were used to check for the diagnostic accuracy of each modality.@*Results@#A total of 27 patients were enrolled in the study. Four were stage IB1 (14.81%), 10 were stage IB2 (37.03%), nine were stage IB3 (33.33%), two were stage IIA1 (7.40%), and two were stage IIA2 (7.40%). Ultrasound has a comparable diagnostic accuracy with MRI to assess tumor size length, width, and height with an area under the curve of 0.789, 0.753, and 0.806, respectively. Both modalities can predict the absence of parametrial invasion and nodal involvement with a specificity of 100% and a negative predictive value of 88.89% and 81.48%, respectively. The results of the gynecologic oncology ultrasound showed good agreement with MRI.@*Conclusion@#Ultrasound has comparable diagnostic accuracy with MRI in assessing tumor size, parametrial invasion, and nodal involvement in patients with early-stage cervical cancer. It is a good alternative imaging modality to MRI in staging cervical cancer, especially in low- to middle-income countries.