Positron emission tomography for evaluating para-aortic nodal metastasis in locally advanced cervical cancer before surgical staging: a surgicopathologic study

Precision matters: the value of PET/CT and PET/MRI in the clinical management of cervical cancer

The incidence of cervical cancer has been increasing recently, becoming an essential factor threatening patients' health. Positron emission computed tomography (PET/CT) and positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) are multimodal molecular imaging methods that combine functional imaging (PET) and anatomical imaging (CT) with MRI fusion technology. They play an important role in the clinical management of patients with cervical cancer. Precision radiotherapy refers to the use of advanced intensive modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) to give different doses of radiation to different treatment areas to achieve the purpose of killing tumors and protecting normal tissues to the greatest extent. At present, pelvic target delineation is mostly based on CT and MRI, but these mostly provide anatomical morphological information, which is difficult to show the internal metabolism of tumors. PET/CT and PET/MRI combine information on biological function, metabolism and anatomical structure, thereby more accurately distinguishing the boundaries between tumor and non-tumor tissues and playing a positive guiding role in improving radiotherapy planning (RTP) for cervical cancer and evaluating treatment effect.

Cervical cancer: a new era

Cervical cancer is a major global health issue, ranking as the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. Depending on stage, histology, and patient factors, the standard management of cervical cancer is a combination of treatment approaches, including (fertility- or non-fertility-sparing) surgery, radiotherapy, platinum-based chemotherapy, and novel systemic therapies such as bevacizumab, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and antibody-drug conjugates. While ambitious global initiatives seek to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem, the management of cervical cancer continues to evolve with major advances in imaging modalities, surgical approaches, identification of histopathological risk factors, radiotherapy techniques, and biomarker-driven personalized therapies. In particular, the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors has dramatically altered the treatment of cervical cancer, leading to significant survival benefits in both locally advanced and metastatic/recurrent settings. As the landscape of cervical cancer therapies continues to evolve, the aim of the present review is to provide a comprehensive discussion of the current state and the latest practice-changing updates in cervical cancer.

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.

Improving cervical cancer survival-A multifaceted strategy to sustain progress for this global problem

Cervical cancer is associated with profound socioeconomic and racial disparities in incidence, mortality, morbidity, and years of life lost. The last standard-of-care treatment innovation for locally advanced cervical cancer occurred in 1999, when cisplatin chemotherapy was added to pelvic radiation therapy (chemoradiation therapy). Chemoradiation therapy is associated with a 30%-50% failure rate, and there is currently no cure for recurrent or metastatic disease. The enormity of the worldwide clinical problem of cervical cancer morbidity and mortality as well as the egregiously unchanged mortality rate over the last several decades are recognized by the National Institutes of Health as urgent priorities. This is reflected within the Office of Research on Women's Health effort to advance National Institutes of Health research on the health of women, as highlighted in a recent symposium. In the current review, the authors address the state of the science and opportunities to improve cervical cancer survival with an emphasis on improving access, using technology in innovative and widely implementable ways, and improving current understanding of cervical cancer biology. LAY SUMMARY: Cervical cancer is associated with profound socioeconomic and racial disparities in incidence, mortality, morbidity, and years of life lost. In this review, the state of the science and opportunities to improve cervical cancer survival are presented with an emphasis on improving access, using technology in innovative and widely implementable ways, and improving current understanding of cervical cancer biology.

Improved stratification of stage-specific survival for cervical uterine cancer by integrating FDG-PET/CT and MRI for lymph node staging in 2018 FIGO classification

OBJECTIVE

Staging carcinoma of the uterine cervix (CCU) by FIGO-2018 suggests stage migration of FIGO-2009 stage I-III patients with lymph node metastasis into FIGO-2018 stage IIIC. We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of lymph node metastases identified by imaging.

METHODS

We enrolled all patients with biopsy-verified CCU from 2007 to 2016 at Odense University Hospital, Denmark. FDG-PET/CT and MRI were performed before clinical examination in general anesthesia. Disease-specific mortality was compared between women with lymph node-positive and lymph node-negative imaging.

RESULTS

In total, 488 patients underwent clinical staging according to FIGO-2009. Lymph node-positive imaging was identified in 146 (30%) patients: 0/36 (0%) in stage IA, 22/195 (11%) in IBI, 14/30 (47%) in IB2, 70/164 (43%) in II and 40/63 (63%) in III. The 5-year cumulative incidence of death due to CCU lymph node-negative vs. lymph node-positive patients was 0.8% vs. 7.1% (p = 0.034) in stage IBI, 0% vs. 34.5% (p = 0.003) in stage IB2, 15.1% vs. 41.4% (p < 0.0001) in stage II, and 33.3% vs. 46.6% (p = 0.28) in stage III by FIGO-2009.

CONCLUSIONS

One of three women with FIGO-2009 stage I-III CCU had suspected lymph node metastasis on imaging and is upstaged to stage IIIC according to FIGO-2018. The cancer-specific mortality by CCU was significantly lower in the lymph node-negative women stages IBI-II, thus supporting stage migration due to suspected lymph node metastasis. However, the exact prognostic value within stage IIIC is challenged, and future revision of FIGO stages may include new sub-stages.

Cervical cancer and novel therapeutic and diagnostic approaches using chitosan as a carrier: A review

In our knowledge, using appropriate carriers in delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs, would result in better targeting and therefore it would increase the effectiveness and decrease the side effects of drugs. Chitosan, a natural polymer derived from chitin, has attracted the attention of pharmaceutical industries recently. New research show that chitosan not only can be used in drug delivery but it can also have some usages in prevention and diagnosis of cancer. This means that using chitosan Nanoformulations can be a promising approach for prevention, diagnosis, and specially treatment of cervical cancer, fourth common cancer among the women of the world. We aim to investigate the related papers to find a novel method and preventing more women from suffering.

Interest of para-aortic lymphadenectomy for locally advanced cervical cancer in the era of PET scanning

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) involves pelvic chemoradiotherapy, using an extended field in the case of para-aortic involvement. 18-Fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography combined with computer tomography (PET-CT) is an accurate method for the detection of metastatic nodes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of PET-CT for lymph node staging of LACC.

METHODS

This bicentric retrospective study included patients with LACC who had a PET-CT scan followed by para-aortic lymphadenectomy between January 2015 and December 2019. Based on pathological findings, sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), positive predictive value (PPV) and false-negative (FN) rates of PET-CT for para-aortic node involvement were evaluated.

RESULTS

Seventy-one patients who had undergone laparoscopic lymphadenectomy were included in this study. The intraoperative complication rate was 2.8%. Sensitivity, specificity, NPV and PPV for PET-CT were 55% [95% confidence interval (CI) 44.6-67.1], 84% (95% CI 75-92), 93% (95% CI 87-99) and 33% (95% CI 22-44), respectively. FN rates in the case of negative or positive pelvic PET-CT were 5.7% and 9.5%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Para-aortic lymphadenectomy is recommended for lymph node staging in the case of negative para-aortic PET-CT. In view of the low FN rate of PET-CT, surgical staging should be discussed regardless of pelvic status if the patient presents high surgical risk, or if this delays the commencement of chemoradiotherapy.

Comparison of positron emission tomography with computed tomography examination with histopathological assessment of pelvic lymph nodes in patients with cervical cancer treated surgically

INTRODUCTION

According to the literature, fluor-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET-CT) is the most effective technique for the examination and detection of metastases in the lymph nodes in patients with cervical cancer. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic value of the preoperative evaluation using 18F-FDG-PET-CT with a histopathological examination of the lymph nodes removed during radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection in patients with cervical cancer.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Retrospective analysis covered the medical records of 42 patients with cervical cancer (stage IA-IB according to International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics 2009) treated with radical Piver type III hysterectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection. The preoperative diagnosis was made using a PET/CT examination. Results: The result of the 18F-FDG-PET-CT examination highlighted a suspicion of lymph node metastases in 13 patients (31%). The histopathological examination confirmed this in 12 patients (29%). Metastatic lymph nodes were correctly diagnosed using 18F-FDG-PET-CT in 8 out of the 12 cases confirmed by the histopathological examination. In the patient-based study, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were 66.8%, 83.3%, 61.5%, 86.2 % and 78.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

We confirmed the usefulness of PET in the preoperative assessment of cervical cancer advancement, especially in correlation with the new 2018 International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics staging system.

IMAT-IGRT Treatment with Simultaneous Integrated Boost as Dose Escalation for Patients with Cervical Cancer: A Single Institution, Prospective Pilot Study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to introduce the simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) technique to assess the safety of replacement of the brachytherapy (BT) boost for ineligible patients with cervical cancer receiving radiochemotherapy (RCT).

Methods: Fourteen patients were enrolled between 2015 and 2018. SIB was delivered using RapidArc technique at doses of 2.4 Gy per fraction during pelvic irradiation with 50.4/1.8 Gy in seven patients (to a total dose of 67.2 Gy) with limited volume disease. In 7 patients with a more advanced disease stage (>5 cm tumor, parametric invasion both sides), parametric boost therapy was added to the pelvic radiotherapy to a total dose of the macroscopic tumor of 79.2 Gy. All patients received simultaneous cisplatin-based chemotherapy for 5 cycles with a dosage of 40 mg/m². We examined acute toxicity (CTCAE v4.1) and quality of life (EORTC QLQ30 and CX24). The tumor regression rate was evaluated with RECIST 1.1 after the first 3- to 4-months follow-up Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan. We calculated the percentage of tumor regression rate and the local control during the follow-up period and evaluated the survival data.

Results: Our patient data are presented at a median follow-up time of 24.5 months. During the treatment period, no grade 3 to 4 toxicity was observed. During the follow-up period, no late-onset toxicity was observed. The tumor regression rate at the first MRI scan was 95.31% on average. Disease free survival (DFS) during the median follow-up of 24 months was 98.6%.

Conclusion: In patients with cervical cancer, the SIB technique is amenable as part of definitive RCT. Dose escalation with the SIB technique can be safely administered to cervical cancer patients during definitive RCT if BT is not feasible. However, further randomized clinical studies are needed to validate the method, so routine use of it cannot be recommended yet.

[Para-aortic lymph node staging in grade IB2 and above cervical cancers: Comparison of 18FDG PET-CT with para-aortic lymphadenectomy, using data from the Côte d'Or gynaecological cancer registry from 2003 to 2016]

INTRODUCTION

Current guidelines (ASCO, ESTRO, and ESGO) recommend para-aortic lymphadenectomy (PAL) for lymph node staging in patients with a negative initial PET-CT in locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC), with the aim to determine the radiation fields for radiochemotherapy. The main goal of this study was to compare overall survival (OS) in two groups, which differed according to the para-aortic lymph node staging technique used: imaging alone versus imaging and PAL. Secondary objectives were to determine recurrence-free survival (RFS), the proportion of false negatives on PET-CT, and surgery-related complications.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective, observational study on data from the Côte d'Or gynaecological cancer registry collected from 2003 to 2016, and compared two groups of LACC with different techniques for staging para-aortic lymph nodes: PET-CT alone (iN group) (n=99) and PET-CT associated with PAL (pN group) (n=35) for a total of 134 patients.

RESULTS

OS (HR=1.04 (95% CI: 0.53-2.03); P=0.9) and RFS (HR=0.65 (95% CI: 0.29-1.45); P=0.29) were similar in both groups. There were 11.4% of false negatives in PET-CT, and 2.9% of patients who underwent PAL experienced complications. The staging method, iN or pN, had no impact on the time to the implementation of concomitant radiochemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

For lymph node staging in LACC, PAL after a PET-CT as compared with PET-CT staging alone, had no significant impact on OS or RFS.

A novel 2-deoxy-2-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT)-based nomogram to predict lymph node metastasis in early stage uterine cervical squamous cell cancer

Background

We aimed to establish an effective 2-deoxy-2-fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) based nomogram for pelvic lymph node (PLN) metastasis prediction in early-stage uterine cervical squamous cell cancer.

Methods

A predictive model was developed in a cohort that consisted of 351 patients with stage IB-IIA [International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2009] uterine cervical squamous cell cancer. All patients underwent a preoperative PET/CT scan and subsequent radical surgery between 2010 and 2017, with 241 and 110 patients allotted into training and external validation cohorts. The chi-square (χ²) test and the logistic regression analysis were used to compare the clinical and PET/CT parameters with PLN metastasis. A nomogram was developed and validated by internal and external validation.

Results

In the training cohort, 82 (34.0%) patients had positive PLNs identified in the preoperative PET/CT scan. Among them, 46 (56.1%) were pathologically confirmed. There were 30 (18.9%) PET/CT scan-negative patients found to have PLN metastasis. The χ² test and logistic regression showed that only the squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) level (P=0.039) and maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of PLN (nSUVmax, P=0.001) were independent predictors for PLN metastasis. A predictive nomogram based on these 2 parameters was developed with a C-index [95% confidence interval (CI)] of 0.854 (0.772-0.937) on internal validation and 0.836 (0.723-0.948) on the external validation. Compared to nSUVmax alone, our nomogram showed elevated sensitivity (70.5%, 73.1% vs. 60.5%), specificity (94.4%, 86.4% vs. 78.2%), and positive predictive value (PPV) (93.9%, 86.4% vs. 56.1%) in both the training and validation cohorts.

Conclusions

We successfully developed a noninvasive and convenient nomogram for preoperative identification of PLN metastasis in early-stage squamous cell cervical cancer.

PET-detected asymptomatic recurrence is associated with improved survival in recurrent cervical cancer

PURPOSE

We aimed to examine utilization patterns of positron emission tomography scans (PET or PET/CT) beyond 6 months after cervical cancer treatment. We investigated survival outcomes of asymptomatic patients with PET-detected recurrence.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of 283 patients with stage IA-IVA cervical cancer treated with primary chemoradiation. The 107 patients (37.8%) with recurrence were categorized as "asymptomatic PET-detected recurrence" (n = 23) or "standard detection" (n = 84) and we compared clinical characteristics and outcomes using multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Late post-treatment PET (≥ 6 months after treatment) was performed in 35.3% (n = 100). Indications for late post-treatment PET included restaging in setting of known recurrence (23.6%), follow up of prior ambiguous imaging findings (9.7%), and new symptoms or exam findings (6.7%). However, late post-treatment PET was most commonly performed outside of current imaging guidelines, in asymptomatic patients without suspicion for recurrence (60.0%), presumably for surveillance. The median time to recurrence was 12.1 months (IQR 7.3-26.6). 23 patients (21.5%) had recurrence detected late post-treatment PET while asymptomatic (n = 23/107). Patients with asymptomatic PET-detected recurrence had improved survival by 26.3 months compared to the standard detection cohort (50.3 vs 24.0 months, p = 0.0015). On multivariate analysis, predictors of survival after recurrence were presence of distant metastases at diagnosis (p = 0.010) and asymptomatic PET-detected recurrence (p = 0.039).

CONCLUSIONS

PET imaging in asymptomatic patients beyond 6 months after treatment may have clinical benefit and warrants further study. Detection of recurrence by PET in asymptomatic patients ≥ 6 months after chemoradiation was associated with prolonged survival by more than   2 years.

[18F]FDG-PET or PET/CT in the evaluation of pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer: A systematic review of the literature

PURPOSE

Imaging is essential in detecting lymph node metastases for radiotherapy treatment planning in locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). There are not many data on the performance of [¹⁸F]FDG-PET(CT) in showing lymph node metastases in LACC. We pooled sensitivity and specificity of [¹⁸F]FDG-PET(CT) for detecting pelvic and/or para-aortic lymph node metastases in patients with LACC. Also, the positive and negative posttest probabilities at high and low levels of prevalence were determined.

METHODS

MEDLINE and EMBASE searches were performed and quality characteristics assessed. Logit-sensitivity and logit-specificity estimates with corresponding standard errors were calculated. Summary estimates of sensitivity and specificity with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by anti-logit transformation. Positive and negative likelihood ratios (LRs) were calculated from the mean logit-sensitivity and mean logit-specificity and the corresponding standard errors. The posttest probabilities were determined by Bayesian approach.

RESULTS

Twelve studies were included with a total of 778 patients aged 10-85 years. For pelvic nodes, summary estimates of sensitivity, specificity, LR+ and LR- were: 0.88 (95%CI: 0.40-0.99), 0.93 (95%CI: 0.85-0.97), 11.90 (95%CI: 5.32-26.62) and 0.13 (95%CI: 0.01-1.08). At the lowest prevalence of 0.15 the positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were 0.68 and 0.98, at the highest prevalence of 0.65, 0.96 and 0.81. For the para-aortic nodes, the summary estimates of sensitivity, specificity LR+ and LR- were: 0.40 (95%CI: 0.18-0.66), 0.93 (95%CI: 0.91-0.95), 6.08 (95%CI: 2.90-12.78) and 0.64 (95%CI: 0.42-0.99), respectively. At the lowest prevalence of 0.17 the PPV and NPV were 0.55 and 0.88, at the highest prevalence of 0.50, 0.86 and 0.61.

CONCLUSION

The PPV and NPV of [¹⁸F]FDG-PET(CT) showing lymph node metastases in patients with LACC improves with higher prevalence. Prevalence and predictive values should be taken into account when determining therapeutic strategies based on [¹⁸F]FDG-PET(CT).

The diagnostic performance of PET/CT scans for the detection of para-aortic metastatic lymph nodes in patients with cervical cancer: A meta-analysis

Objective

We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic value of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in the detection of para-aortic lymph node metastasis in cervical cancer.

Methods

We searched the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chinese Biological Medicine (CBM), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang and VIP databases in all languages from their inception to September 2018. Stat15.0 software was used to obtain pooled estimates of sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) as well as a summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves. Deek‘s funnel plot was used to assess publication bias. QUADAS-2 was used to evaluate the quality of the studies. The protocol for this meta-analysis is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42019115330).

Results

We obtained 14 studies, and the pooled estimates for sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT were 0.71 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.54–0.83) and 0.97 (95% CI = 0.93–0.98), respectively. Pooled PLR and NLR were 21.53 and 0.30, respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was70.59, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.95.

Conclusion

PET/CT is an effective and important imaging method for the diagnosis of para-aortic lymph node metastasis in early cervical cancer.

Immune Checkpoint Blockade in PD-L1-Positive Platinum-Refractory Cervical Carcinoma

The Oncology Grand Rounds series is designed to place original reports published in the Journal into clinical context. A case presentation is followed by a description of diagnostic and management challenges, a review of the relevant literature, and a summary of the authors' suggested management approaches. The goal of this series is to help readers better understand how to apply the results of key studies, including those published in Journal of Clinical Oncology, to patients seen in their own clinical practice. A 36-year-old white married mother of two small children presented with intermenstrual bleeding, dyspareunia, and pelvic pain. Because of significant lapses in health care coverage, she had had only sporadic screening for cervical cancer over the past 15 years. On evaluation with a vaginal speculum, her cervix was found to have been replaced by a friable lesion 5 cm in diameter. Biopsy revealed poorly differentiated, squamous cell carcinoma. Bimanual pelvic and rectovaginal examination, as well as radiographic imaging studies, were consistent with an International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IB3 squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. She was treated with cisplatin-based chemoradiation (40 mg/m² body surface area once per week with a planned total dose of 50 Gy using intensity modulated radiotherapy) plus high-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy (to bring the total dose to point A to 80 to 85 Gy). Despite missing eight radiotherapy sessions because of transportation issues, she had a complete clinical response. Fourteen months later, she developed severe pelvic and right flank pain. In the clinic, she was cachectic and reported significant abdominal discomfort that kept her from eating well over the past several months. She was no longer able to work as a medical assistant and spent most of her time confined to her apartment. Physical examination demonstrated a fixed, firm pelvic mass; a computed tomography-guided biopsy confirmed recurrent carcinoma, and staging scans disclosed a pulmonary metastasis.

[Focus on mucinous adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix]

Cancer of the uterine cervix is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide, and the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women. Squamous cell carcinoma is the first type of cervical cancer (about 75% of cases), and adenocarcinoma the second. Adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix were redefined in the 2014 WHO classification. Endocervical adenocarcinoma, usual type, is the mose common. Mucinous adenocarcinoma were classified by this classification into different subtypes: gatric type, intestinal type and signet-ring cell type. This literature review shows the caracteristics of these various subtypes of cervical cancer, little known. These are physiopathological, clinical, cytological histological, pronostic caracteristics, and their treatments.

Cancer of the cervix uteri

Since the publication of the last FIGO Cancer Report there have been giant strides in the global effort to reduce the burden of cervical cancer, with WHO announcing a call for elimination. In over 80 countries, including LMICs, HPV vaccination is now included in the national program. Screening has also seen major advances with implementation of HPV testing on a larger scale. However, these interventions will take a few years to show their impact. Meanwhile, over half a million new cases are added each year. Recent developments in imaging and increased use of minimally invasive surgery have changed the paradigm for management of these cases. The FIGO Gynecologic Oncology Committee has revised the staging system based on these advances. This chapter discusses the management of cervical cancer based on the stage of disease, including attention to palliation and quality of life issues.

18F-FDG PET/CT in the evaluation of cancer cervix: Where do we stand today?

The incidence of gynecological malignancies is on the rise partly because of the availability of screening programmes, awareness, higher technological advancements, and availability of better medical care. Early diagnosis of any malignancy leads to prompt treatment. Use of 18Fluorine-Fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) PET/CT in the treatment and follow-up of patients with Ca cervix considerably improves patient management. The primary diagnosis of Ca cervix is made either by biopsy of a visible tumor on the cervix or by a cone biopsy of a nonvisible malignant cervical focus. The staging procedure is purely clinical (i.e. gynecologic examination under general anesthesia) according to the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics classification. Earlier, with the nonavailability of sophisticated medical equipment and imaging specialists, oncologists relied heavily on clinical examination. However, anatomical and functional imaging has been proven to be considerably superior in understanding parametrial involvement and nodal/distant metastases in the cancer cervix than clinical examination alone. Data are evolving on the usage of F-FDG PET/CT in initial staging, treatment planning, and monitoring therapy response for gynecological malignancies. Prognostic information derived from the primary lesion such as the maximum standardized uptake value, metabolic tumor volume, and extent of para-aortic nodal metastatic disease plays a critical role in tailoring therapy on the basis of patient tumor-specific factors rather than on International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics stage alone. Thus, F-FDG PET/CT needs to be listed not only under the panel of pretherapy investigations for Ca cervix but also for recurrence and therapy response assessments. It allows a more confident approach to patient management at initial staging, especially in terms of the decision to choose surgical versus palliation measures.

Meta-analysis of PET/CT Detect Lymph Nodes Metastases of Cervical Cancer

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of PET/CT for metastatic lymph nodes in cervical cancer patients.

Methods

Searching in the databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar about non-invasive modalities for detecting lymph nodes metastases during 2000~2017. Following further screening, the extracted effective data were calculated by Meta-Disc 1.4 software, such as sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), positive likelihood (LR+), and negative likelihood ratio (LR-).

Results

we obtained 27 articles. The pooled estimates for sensitivity of PET/CT were 0.72 (95% CI, [0.69, 0.75]); for specificity were 0.96 (95% CI, [0.96, 0.97]). Its weighted AUC was 0.93.

Conclusion

PET/CT remains to be an effective method for diagnosis of metastatic lymph nodes from cervical cancer.

Accurate segmenting of cervical tumors in PET imaging based on similarity between adjacent slices

Because in PET imaging cervical tumors are close to the bladder with high capacity for the secreted ¹⁸FDG tracer, conventional intensity-based segmentation methods often misclassify the bladder as a tumor. Based on the observation that tumor position and area do not change dramatically from slice to slice, we propose a two-stage scheme that facilitates segmentation. In the first stage, we used a graph-cut based algorithm to obtain initial contouring of the tumor based on local similarity information between voxels; this was achieved through manual contouring of the cervical tumor on one slice. In the second stage, initial tumor contours were fine-tuned to more accurate segmentation by incorporating similarity information on tumor shape and position among adjacent slices, according to an intensity-spatial-distance map. Experimental results illustrate that the proposed two-stage algorithm provides a more effective approach to segmenting cervical tumors in 3D¹⁸FDG PET images than the benchmarks used for comparison.

Biological imaging for individualized therapy in radiation oncology: part II medical and clinical aspects

Positron emission tomography and multiparametric MRI provide crucial information concerning tumor extent and normal tissue anatomy. Moreover, they are able to visualize biological characteristics of the tumor, which can be considered in the radiation treatment planning and monitoring. In this review we discuss the impact of biological imaging positron emission tomography and multiparametric MRI for radiation oncology, based on the data of the literature and on the experience of our own institution in this field.

[18F]-2-Fluoro-2-Deoxy-D-glucose-PET Assessment of Cervical Cancer

This article provides an overview of PET in cervical cancer, primarily with regard to the use of ¹⁸F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose-PET/computed tomography. A brief discussion of upcoming technologies, such as PET/MR imaging, is presented.

Management of Para-aortic Lymph Node Disease in Patients With Cervical Cancer: What Is the Best Approach?

Cervical cancer remains a prevalent and deadly disease in low-income countries, especially among young and otherwise healthy women. Multimodality treatment has led to a significant improvement in outcomes for patients with locally advanced disease, and this is mainly because of the incorporation of platinum-based chemoradiotherapy in current treatment protocols. However, locally advanced tumors are associated with a greater risk for para-aortic lymph node (PALN) involvement, which is an important adverse prognostic factor. Most staging techniques have low accuracy for detection of disease in this area, which could lead to understaging and undertreatment. Meanwhile, patients with PALN disease are underrepresented in trials addressing the treatment of advanced cervical cancer and a few studies have been directed at this population. The aim of this review is to analyze the current data regarding staging and treatment of cervical cancer with PALN disease to determine which strategy is best when managing these patients.

Prognostic Significance of the Standardized Uptake Value of Pretherapeutic 18F-Labeled 2-Fluoro-2-Deoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in Patients With Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prognostic significance of the pretreatment and posttreatment maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of F-labeled 2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography imaging in patients with stage IB2-IVA cervical cancer.

METHODS

This was a retrospective review of cervical cancer patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stages IB2-IVA, from March 2008 to April 2014. All patients had pretreatment and posttreatment PET imaging and received primary whole pelvic radiation therapy with concurrent radiosensitizing chemotherapy, followed by intracavitary brachytherapy. Of the 58 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 31 patients (group A) showed no evidence of disease at last follow-up, and 27 patients (group B) presented with recurrence/persistence of disease.

RESULTS

The mean pretreatment SUVmax in group A was 17.65 ± 7.82 versus 18.8 ± 7.77 in group B (P = 0.577). The mean posttreatment SUVmax between the groups was 0.85 ± 1.83 versus 6.05 ± 3.01 (P < 0.001), respectively. The mean difference between pretreatment and posttreatment SUVmax was 17.73 ± 7.50 in group A versus 13.29 ± 7.15 in group B (P = 0.045). In group A, 80.7% of patients demonstrated no posttreatment hypermetabolic activity on PET imaging versus 11.1% in group B. Of the patients who experienced treatment failure, the site of failure was pelvic in 25.9%, distant in 44.4%, and both pelvic and distant in 29.6%.

CONCLUSIONS

No threshold was identified for the pretreatment SUVmax relative to the risk of recurrence. However, distinct correlations were found between the risk of recurrence, percent reduction in SUVmax, and the observation of residual hypermetabolic activity. This finding may help identify candidates for sequential chemotherapy.

Prognostic value of total lesion glycolysis measured by 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer

AIM

The aim of this study was to determine the most relevant parameters of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) PET/computed tomography (CT) for predicting recurrence in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty-six patients diagnosed with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IIB to IVA cervical cancer who underwent F-FDG PET/CT before definitive chemoradiotherapy were retrospectively enrolled. Various PET parameters, namely, maximum standardized uptake value, mean standardized uptake value, metabolic tumor volume, and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of the primary tumor, were analyzed to evaluate the relationship between these PET parameters and recurrence-free survival (RFS). The cut-off values of PET parameters that showed the best trade-off between sensitivity and specificity for RFS were determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.

RESULTS

The median follow-up was 20 months (range, 6-63 months). Univariate analysis indicated that higher FIGO stage [hazard ratio (HR) 5.606, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.682-18.68, P=0.005], metabolic tumor volume more than 47.81 cm (HR 6.203, 95% CI 1.351-28.481, P=0.019), and TLG more than 215.02 (HR 11.817, 95% CI 1.518-91.963, P=0.018) were associated with RFS. In multivariate analysis, FIGO stage (HR 4.618, 95% CI 1.295-16.463, P=0.018) and TLG more than 215.02 (HR 10.171, 95% CI 1.246-83.044, P=0.030) were independent predictive factors for RFS. Kaplan-Meier curves for RFS indicated that patients with TLG less than or equal to 215.02 showed better RFS (P=0.003).

CONCLUSION

Pretreatment TLG proved to be an independent prognostic factor for RFS in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer treated by definitive chemoradiotherapy.

The Emerging Role of PET/MR Imaging in Gynecologic Cancers

This article summarizes recent advances in PET/MR imaging in gynecologic cancers and the emerging clinical value of PET/MR imaging in the management of the 3 most common gynecologic malignancies: cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. PET/MR imaging offers superior soft tissue contrast, improved assessment of primary tumor involvement because of high-resolution multiplanar reformats, and functional MR techniques such as diffusion-weighted MR imaging and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging. This article discusses the challenges, future directions, and technical advances of PET/MR imaging, and the emerging new multimodality, multiparametric imaging techniques for integrating morphologic, functional, and molecular imaging data.

The role of PET/CT in the management of patients affected by head and neck tumors: a review of the literature

The management of head and neck tumor (HNSCC) has been changing over the years, especially due to the aid of imaging techniques that help physicians to attain a correct diagnosis. These techniques represent a valuable tool to help tailor treatment and during follow-up of patients affected by malignancies. The aim of this review is to summarize the results of the most recent and relevant studies about the use of PET imaging in HNSCCs. This review is divided into six chapters: (1) The role of PET/CT in the pre-treatment phase; (2) PET/CT and radiotherapy planning; (3) PET/CT in the post-treatment setting; (4) PET/CT and SUVmax for prediction of prognosis; (5) miscellanea on the utility of PET in specific HNSCCs; (6) non-FDG PET tracers used in HNSCC. Promising results have been obtained so far. Despite the encouraging outcomes, more investigations are needed to warrant the value of this technique, especially in the pre-treatment setting.

Comparison of FDG PET/CT and MRI in lymph node staging of endometrial cancer

OBJECTIVE

Endometrial cancer is the most frequent cancer occurring in the female genital tract in the Western countries. Because surgical staging is currently the standard, noninvasive techniques that accurately identify lymph node (LN) metastases would be beneficial by reducing costs and complications. The purpose of our study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of 2-[(18)F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with that of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting LN metastases in the preoperative staging of endometrial cancer.

METHODS

Two hundred eighty-seven consecutive patients with endometrial cancer underwent preoperative PET/CT and MRI for staging. The malignancy criteria for LNs were a short diameter of 1 cm or more by MRI and focally increased (18)F-FDG uptake by PET/CT. After evaluating PET/CT and MRI separately, morphologic and functional image findings were compared with the histological findings regarding LN metastasis for all patients. PET/CT and MRI images were classified on the basis of histological findings as true-positive, true-negative, false-positive, or false-negative. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy were calculated.

RESULTS

Histologic examination revealed LN metastases in 51 patients (17.8%). The maximal standardized uptake values (SUVmax) of the primary lesions by PET/CT ranged from 1.4 to 37.7, with a mean value of 9.3, whereas those of the metastatic LNs ranged from 2.0 to 22.5 with a mean of 7.3. On a per-patient basis, node staging resulted in sensitivities of 70.0% with (18)F-FDG PET/CT and 34.0% with MRI, and specificities of 95.4 % with PET/CT and 95.0% with MRI. The NPV of PET/CT was 94.3%, and that of MRI was 87.2%. On a lesion base analysis, sensitivity of PET/CT was 79.4% while that of MRI was 51.6%. In detecting distant metastasis, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, and NPV of PET/CT were 92.9, 98.9, 98.6, 81.3, and 99.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Diagnostic performance of FDG PET/CT was better than MRI for detecting metastatic lymph nodes in patients with endometrial cancer both by patient basis and lesion basis analyses. Due to high NPV, FDG PET-CT could aid in selecting candidates for lymphadenectomy.

Gynecologic oncologic imaging with PET/CT

FDG-PET/CT has been evaluated in a variety of gynecologic malignancies in a variety of settings and is approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the initial and subsequent treatment strategies of these malignancies. Cervical cancer is typically very FDG avid, and FDG-PET/CT appears to be most valuable for initial staging, radiation therapy planning, and detection of recurrent disease. For ovarian cancer, the most value of FDG-PET/CT appears to be for detecting recurrent disease in the setting of rising CA-125 level and negative or equivocal anatomical imaging studies. Initial studies evaluating response to therapy are promising and further work in this area is needed. FDG uptake in both nonmalignant and physiological processes in the pelvis can make interpretation of FDG-PET/CT in this region challenging and knowledge of these entities and patterns can avoid misinterpretation. Some of the most common findings relate to the cyclic changes that occur as part of the menstrual cycle in premenopausal women. Mucinous tumors and low-volume or peritoneal carcinomatosis are causes of false-negative results on FDG-PET/CT studies. As new tracers are developed, comparisons with patient outcomes and standards of care (eg, FDG-PET/CT) will be needed.

Role of imaging in the pretreatment evaluation of common gynecological cancers

Different treatment options are available for patients with gynecological cancers. Imaging plays an important role in assessment of patients with common cancers involving uterine body, cervix and ovaries, from detection to evaluation of the extent of disease. The purpose of this review is to highlight the role of cross-sectional imaging techniques in treatment stratification and overall management of patients with endometrial, cervical and ovarian cancers. Several imaging techniques used are described, including ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), MRI and PET/CT. Specific imaging appearances of the most common uterine, cervical and ovarian cancers are discussed. Imaging findings corresponding to the 2009 revised International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging of gynecologic malignancies are also described. In the multidisciplinary evaluation of patients with gynecologic malignancies, the role of the radiologist has become central for accurate diagnosis and evaluation of extent of disease to achieve better treatment selection and planning.

Treatment outcomes of extended-field radiation therapy and the effect of concurrent chemotherapy on uterine cervical cancer with para-aortic lymph node metastasis

PURPOSE

To review the clinical outcomes of extended-field radiation therapy (EFRT) and to analyze prognostic factors significant for survival in patients receiving EFRT for uterine cervical carcinoma with para-aortic node (PAN) metastasis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 90 patients with stage IB-IVA cervical cancer and PAN metastasis between 1987 and 2012. Median age was 50 (range, 24-77). Patients received median 70.2 Gy (range, 56-93) to point A and median 50.4 Gy (range, 45-60.4) to PAN over median 69 elapsed days (range, 43-182). Forty-six patients (51.1%) received concurrent chemotherapy. Survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. We analyzed prognostic factors for overall actuarial survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) using a Cox regression method.

RESULTS

The median follow-up period for surviving patients was 55 months (range, 3-252). Seventy patients (77.8%) had complete remission. Forty-six patients experienced treatment failure as follows: 11 patients (12.2%) as local recurrence, 19 (21%) as regional recurrence and 33 (36.7%) as distant metastasis. The 5-yr OS and PFS were 62.6% and 43.9%, respectively. Treatment response was the only statistically independent prognostic factors for OS (p= 0.04) and PFS (p< 0.001) on multivariate analysis. Grade 3 or 4 hematologic gastrointestinal and urogenital toxicities were observed in about 10% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our institutional experiences showed that EFRT was an effective treatment for cervical cancer patients with PAN metastasis. The addition of chemotherapy to EFRT seems to have uncertain survival benefit with higher hematologic toxicity.

PET-based radiation therapy planning

In this review, we review the literature on the use of PET in radiation treatment planning, with an emphasis on describing our institutional methodology (where applicable). This discussion is intended to provide other radiation oncologists with methodological details on the use of PET imaging for treatment planning in radiation oncology, or other oncologists with an introduction to the use of PET in planning radiation therapy.

Is FDG -PET-CT a valuable tool in prediction of persistent disease in head and neck cancer

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate accuracy of FDG-PET CT in prediction of persistent disease in head and neck cancer cases and to determine prognostic value of metabolic tumor response.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between 2009 and 2011, 46 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck receiving PET-CT were treated with definitive radiotherapy, with or without chemotherapy. There were 29 nasopharyngeal, 11 hypopharyngeal, 3 oropharyngeal and 3 laryngeal cancer patients, with a median age of 50.5 years (range 16-84), 32 males and 14 females. All patients were evaluated with PET-CT median 3-5 months (2.4-9.4) after completion of radiotherapy.

RESULTS

After a median 20 months of follow up, complete metabolic response was observed in 63% of patients. Suspicious residual uptake was present in 10.9% and residual metabolic uptake in 26.0% of patients. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of FDG-PET-CT for detection of residual disease was 91% and 81%, 64% and 96% respectively. Two year LRC was 95% in complete responders while it was 34% in non-complete responders.

CONCLUSIONS

FDG PET CT is a valuable tool for assessment of treatment response, especially in patients at high risk of local recurrence, and also as an indicator of prognosis. Definitely more precise criteria are required for assessment of response, there being no clear cut uptake value indicating residual disease. Futhermore, repair processes of normal tissue may consume glucose which appear as increased uptake in control FDG PET CT.

The role of [(18)F]FDG-PET/CT in staging and treatment planning for volumetric modulated Rapidarc radiotherapy in cervical cancer: experience of the European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy

RATIONALE

to evaluate the role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ([(18)F]FDG-PET) integrated with computer tomography (CT) scan [(18)F]FDG-PET/CT in the staging and target volume definition in Intensity Modulated RapidarcTM Delivery (RA-IMRT) in cervical cancer.

METHODS

From June 2010 to December 2011, 66 patients affected by cervical cancer, candidates for definitive or adjuvant radiochemotherapy, underwent standard staging with CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All patients underwent [(18)F]FDG-PET/CT in order to exclude distant metastases and to define gross tumor volume (GTV). 40 and 26 patients received exclusive and adjuvant radiotherapy, respectively. RA-IMRT with simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) to the positive disease technique was employed.

RESULTS

[(18)F]FDG-PET/CT has changed the stage, and radiotherapy treatment planning was modified in 25% and 7.7 % of patients that received definitive and adjuvant radiotherapy, respectively. Particularly [(18)F]FDG-PET/CT imaging showed metabolically active tumor in lymph nodes area, therefore the stage and the treatment planning changed for these patients.

CONCLUSIONS

[(18)F]FDG-PET/CT leads to a better staging and definition of disease and has the potential of showing lymph-node metastasis not only within the pelvis but also in the para-aortic area. In addition, [(18)F]FDG-PET/CT is useful for better definition of the target volume and to produce a 'dose painted' treatment. This might also open the field for escalation dose regimens.

Positron emission tomography in gynecological malignancies

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a functional diagnostic imaging technique. F-18 fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) is a commonly used radiopharmaceutical that is an analog of glucose. PET with FDG is now the standard of care in initial staging, monitoring the response to the therapy and management of various cancers. There is not sufficient data to support the use of PET in the initial diagnosis of cervical cancer; however, FDG-PET has a role in initial staging in the detection of distant metastases in patients with cervical cancer. PET has limited value in lesion localization in early stages of ovarian cancer, but plays a significant role in identifying recurrent tumors in patients with rising tumor markers. In this article, the clinical application of PET in gynecological malignancies is reviewed.

Prognostic factors associated with radiotherapy for cervical cancer with computed tomography-detected para-aortic lymph node metastasis

Patients with cervical cancer diagnosed with a para-aortic lymph node (PALN) metastasis by computed tomography (CT) scan were analyzed to identify associated prognostic factors. A total of 55 patients were reviewed, and 27 of these patients underwent extended-field radiotherapy (EFRT). The median PALN dose in patients receiving EFRT was 45 Gy (range, 27-57.6 Gy). Of the 55 patients, 28 underwent pelvic radiotherapy (RT); concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) was administered to 41 patients. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the actuarial rate. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazards model. Five-year overall survival (OS) rates were 41% and 17.9% in patients undergoing EFRT and pelvic RT (P = 0.030), respectively. Age < 53 years (P = 0.023), FIGO Stage I-II (P = 0.002), and treatment with EFRT (P = 0.003) were independent predictors of better OS. The use of CCRT (P = 0.014), Stage I-II (P = 0.002), and treatment using EFRT (P = 0.036) were independent predictors of distant metastasis. In patients undergoing EFRT plus CCRT, the 5-year OS was 50%. Three-year PALN disease-free rates were 8.8%, 57.9% and 100% (P < 0.001) in CCRT patients who received PALN doses of 0 Gy, ≤45 Gy and ≥50.4 Gy, respectively. Although PALN metastasis is thought to be distant metastasis in cervical cancer, EFRT plus CCRT shows a good outcome, particularly in younger patients in an early FIGO stage. Cervical cancer with a PALN metastasis should not be considered incurable. Doses ≥50.4 Gy for treating PALN may result in better disease control.

Role of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in the detection of recurrence in patients with cervical cancer

INTRODUCTION

Treatment of cervical cancer is usually surgery in the early stages and radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy in more advanced stages of the disease. Recurrence may occur in multiple sites following primary treatment. Although recurrent metastatic disease is not curable, surgical treatment may be of great help if locoregional recurrence is detected early. Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography - computed tomography (F-18 FDG PET/CT) forms an important part of investigations in the diagnosis of clinically suspicious recurrent cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the role of F-18 FDG PET/CT in diagnosing recurrence in patients with clinical suspicion of recurrent cervical cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively evaluated 53 histopathologically proved patients of cervical cancer. All the patients had been treated with either surgery/radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy. The standard PET/CT acquisition protocol, with delayed post void static pelvic images, wherever required, was followed in all patients. Significant uptake of FDG in the lymph nodes was considered to be a recurrence suggestive of metastasis. Para-aortic lymph nodal involvement was considered to be distant metastasis. Any significant uptake in the lung nodule on FDG PET was evaluated either by histological confirmation, by taking fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), or by a follow-up chest CT done after three months.

RESULTS

Of the 53 patients with clinically equivocal recurrence, FDG PET/CT suggested recurrence in 41 patients (local recurrence in 14 patients and distant recurrence/metastasis with or without local recurrence in 27 patients). It had a sensitivity of 97.5%, a specificity of 63.6%, positive predictive value of 90.9%, and negative predictive value of 87.5%.

CONCLUSION

PET/CT appears to have an important role in detecting recurrence following primary treatment of cervical cancer. The high positive and negative predictive values of PET/CT may be helpful in planning management of recurrent cervical cancer.