Evaluation of the Possibilities of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Monitoring the Treatment of Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer

Background: Cervical cancer occupies one of theleading places in cancer incidence in women. Preservation of residual tumor in  patients with  cervical  cancer  after  completion of combined chemoradiotherapy is a prognostically unfavorable factor. Detection of an early tumor response to chemoradiation therapy is of great importance for choosing the optimal treatment tactics.

Purpose: To study  the  possibilities of MRI in assessing the  effectiveness of detecting an  early  tumor response in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer  after combined chemoradiotherapy.

Material and methods: The results of magnetic resonance imaging of the  pelvic organs, data  of laboratory, cytological and postoperative histological studies of 174 patients with locally advanced cervical  cancer were analyzed  and compared.

MRI of the pelvic organs was performed before  the start  of treatment to assess  the extent  of the process (primary study) and 6 weeks after the completion of combined chemoradiotherapy to assess the effectiveness of the treatment and detect residual tumor (control study).

Conclusion: Magnetic resonance imaging of the pelvic organs using a standard research protocol, including obtaining diffusion-weighted images and dynamic contrast studies, is a highly informative method for staging locally advanced cervical cancer  and assessing the tumor response to treatment.

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