Abstract:

Objective To assess the usefulness of MRI for evaluating radiotherapy combined with other interventions to treat local advanced cervical cancer. Methods A total of 29 patients with cervical cancer were treated with radiotherapy and other interventions. All patients underwent conventional-sequence pelvic MRI scanning and diffusion-weighted MR imaging before intervention and after the first，second and third rounds of radiotherapy. Apparent diffusion coefficient （ADC） and tumor size were determined. Based on the effects of the intervention，the patients were classified as responders or non-responders. Changes in ADC were compared between the two groups，and survival time was compared among patients with different ADC values. Results Of the 29 treated patients，20 responded and 9 did not. Conventional MRI imaging revealed low signal in T1W1 images and higher，more homogeneous signal in T2W1 images. DWI images revealed heterogeneous high signal and clear lesion borders；ADC images revealed uneven lesions of low signal. ADC values after each radiotherapy round were significantly higher in responders than in non-responders（P<0.05）. Survival time was significantly longer in patients whose ADC changed by more than 35% than in those whose ADC changed by less than 35%（P=0.021）. Conclusion MRI，DWI and ADC values can be used to assess the effect of combined radiotherapy and other interventions to treat cervical cancer.

Key words: Uterine neoplasms, Cervical cancer, Magnetic resonance imaging, Efficacy evaluation