Pretreatment tumor diameter/volume and pelvic lymph node status assessed by magnetic resonance imaging for uterine cervical carcinoma treated with concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy

Aim:  The aim is to evaluate the prognostic value of tumor diameter, volume and pelvic lymph node status assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with uterine cervical carcinoma patients treated with concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Methods:  Ninety-eight patients diagnosed with stage IB to IIIB cervical carcinoma were entered into the study. Tumor diameter was evaluated in T2-weighted image. The tumor volume was calculated by the equation (volume = width × length × height × π/6) as an ellipsoid approximation. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the prognostic factors for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), pelvic control (PC) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS).
Results:  The 5-year OS, DFS, PC and DMFS rate were 59.8%, 57.3%, 67.9% and 78.8%, respectively. Using univariate analyses, large MRI tumor diameter (≥4 cm), large tumor volume (≥30 mL), pelvic enlarged pelvic lymph nodes, large clinical diameter (≥4 cm) and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FigO) stage showed a statistically significantly unfavorable influence on OS and DFS. In multivariate analyses, large tumor volume affected OS, DFS, PC and DMFS, and enlarged pelvic lymph nodes also affected OS.
Conclusion:  Tumor volume and enlarged pelvic lymph nodes determined by pretreatment MRI examinations were significant prognostic factors for patients with invasive cervical carcinoma treated with concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy.