Fusion of PET and MRI for staging of uterine cervical cancer: comparison with contrast-enhanced (18)F-FDG PET/CT and pelvic MRI.

PURPOSE: To investigate the fusion of pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) for assessment of locoregional extension and nodal staging of cervical cancer.

METHODS: PET/computed tomography (CT), MRI, and non-fused and fusion of PET and MRI for assessing the extent of the primary tumor and metastasis to nodes were evaluated.

RESULTS: Accuracy for T-status was 83.3% for fused and non-fused PET/MRI and MRI proved significantly more accurate than PET/CT (53.3%) (P=.0077). Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for nodal metastasis were 92.3%, 88.2%, and 90.0% for fused PET/MRI and PET/contrast-enhanced CT; 84.6%, 94.1%, and 90.0% for non-fused PET/MRI; and 69.2%, 100%, and 86.7% for MRI.

CONCLUSION: Fused PET/MRI combines the individual advantages of MRI and PET.