Clinical value of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in suspected recurrent cervical cancer with prior radiotherapy

Purpose: Diagnosis and therapy of recurrent cervical cancer with prior radiotherapy is a challenge for clinicians. This study was to assess the clinical value of FDG PET/CT in suspected recurrent cervical cancer with prior radiotherapy.

Methods: Medical records were retrospectively reviewed in 73 cervical cancer patients with prior radiotherapy, who had suspected recurrence and who had undergone FDG PET/CT scans. Clinical follow-up findings, clinical impact of PET/CT on diagnosis and therapy were recorded. Result: Sixty patients were detected to be cervical cancer recurrence by PET/CT, 55 were verified to be recurrence, 2 were primary lung cancer, 1 was pelvic abscess, 1 was vaginal wall granuloma and 1 was radiation enterocolitis by histopathologic and clinical follow-up findings. Thirteen patients with negative PET/CT results also had negative findings in subsequent follow-ups. The patients-based sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of PET/CT for the detection of tumor recurrence and malignancy were 100.00%, 81.2%, 95.9% respectively. PET/CT guided the clinical plan in diagnosis and therapy in 57 of 60 patients, changed the treatment plan in 3 of 60 patients who detected to be recurrence by PET /CT. Survive in patients with no PET/CT recurrence and patients with PET/CT recurrence was statistical different. Conclusion: FDG PET/CT is a valuable tool in the case of suspected recurrence of cervical cancer with prior radiotherapy on account of recurrence detection, its impact on treatment planning and especially in predicting patient outcome.