Correlation of clinical and MRI staging in cervical carcinoma treated with radiation therapy: a single-center experience.

44 T he most important prognostic factors for cervical cancer are tumor stage and size. Although not included in the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging, the presence and extent of nodal involvement is an another important prognostic factor (1–3). The efficacy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the assessment of parametrial involvement (which is important in the primary treatment) of cervical carcinoma is widely recognized. Furthermore, the high accuracy of MRI for evaluating tumor volume and lymph node involvement is well known. In women with stage IIIB cervical tumors, the rates of recurrence, persistent disease in the pelvis, or distant metastases are very different from those of stage IIB disease (4). There are a few reports with a limited number of patients with stage IIIB cervical carcinoma that describe the accuracy of MRI for the assessment of pelvic sidewall invasion by advanced stage cervical tumors (5, 6). The aim of the present study is to correlate clinical and MRI findings in patients with cervical carcinoma treated with radiation therapy (RT).