The combination of preoperative PET/CT and sentinel lymph node biopsy in the surgical management of early-stage cervical cancer

The aim of the study was to evaluate the use of PET/CT and/or SLN mapping alone or in combination in cervical cancer patients. Data on stage IA1-IIA cervical cancer patients undergoing PET/CT and SLN mapping were retrospectively collected. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of PET/CT and SLN mapping, alone or in combination, in identifying cervical cancer patients with lymph node metastases were calculated. Sixty patients met the inclusion criteria. PET/CT showed a sensitivity of 68%, a specificity of 84%, a PPV of 61% and a NPV of 88% in detecting lymph nodal metastases. SLN mapping showed a sensitivity of 93%, a specificity of 100%, a PPV of 100% and a NPV of 97%. The combination of PET/CT and SLN mapping showed a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 86%, a PPV of 72% and a NPV of 100%. For patients with tumors of > 2 cm in diameter, the PET/CT showed a sensitivity of 68%, a specificity of 72%, a PPV of 61% and a NPV of 86%. SLN mapping showed a sensitivity of 93%, a specificity of 100%, a PPV of 100% and a NPV of 95%. The combination of PET/CT and SLN mapping showed a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 76%, a PPV of 72% and a NPV of 100%. PET/CT represents a "safety net" that helps the surgeon in identifying metastatic lymph nodes, especially in patients with larger tumors.