Imaging diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in cervical cancer

doi:10.3877/cma.j.issn.1673-5250.2021.05.002

Cervical cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women worldwide. Lymph node metastasis is a high risk factor for postoperative recurrence of cervical cancer, and it can reduce 5-year survival rate of patients with early cervical cancer. In 2018, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) formally included lymph node metastasis in clinical staging criteria for cervical cancer, and clarified the role of imaging examination in assessing diameter of the primary cervical cancer lesion, parauterine invasion, and lymph node metastasis. Traditionally, the imaging evaluation of lymph node in patients with cervical cancer mainly depends on its morphology, which may lead to misdiagnosis. Recently, functional imaging modalities, such as diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) have been used in the evaluation of lymph node metastasis of cervical cancer.This article will expound latest research progresses of multimodalities of imaging in the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in cervical cancer patients, with focus on the evolving functional imaging.

Key words: Uterine cervical neoplasms, Lymphatic metastasis, Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, Diffusion tensor imaging, Diagnostic imaging, Radioisotope, Neoplasm staging, Prognosis risk factors, Female

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