Open Access
CC BY 4.0 · Journal of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1809684
Original Article

Measure of Stage Migration Due to Significant Nodes Detected on Imaging in Patients with Uterocervical Cancer Using the FIGO 2018 Staging System

Renata Nappoly
1   Department of Radiology, Christian Medical College Vellore, Tamil Nādu, India
,
2   Department of Radiology, Christian Medical College Vellore, Tamil Nādu, India
,
Vinotha Thomas
3   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Christian Medical College Vellore, Tamil Nādu, India
,
Sherin Daniel
4   Department of General Pathology, Christian Medical College Vellore, Tamil Nādu, India
› Author Affiliations
 

Abstract

Background

While the earlier International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging guidelines for carcinoma cervix were only based on clinical examination findings, the revised guidelines published in 2018 incorporated imaging and pathological assessments to the staging system.

Aims and Objectives

This article compares the imaging-based new FIGO staging system with the old clinical staging and assesses the degree of stage migration.

Methods

In this institutional review board-approved retrospective study, consecutive patients who were diagnosed with uterocervical cancer and underwent imaging (i.e., computed tomography [CT]/magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]/positron emission tomography-CT [PET-CT]/ultrasound [USG]) between 2013 and 2017 were reviewed. Imaging findings were documented, and stage was assigned as per the revised 2018 FIGO staging system for cervical cancer and compared with the previous FIGO staging system. The degree of stage migration was compared between the new and the old FIGO staging systems. The degree of stage migration due to significant lymph nodes detected on different imaging modalities was assessed.

Results

274 patients with a mean age of 51 years and a range of 20 to 80 years were reviewed. The distribution as per the FIGO 2009 were: 0.3% (n = 1) in stage IA1 and IA2, 6.2% (n = 17) in stage IB1, 1% (n = 3) in stage IB2, 4% (n = 11) in stage IIA, 44.5% (n = 122) in stage IIB, 0.7% (n = 2) in stage IIIA, 27% (n = 74) in stage IIIB, 5.8% (n = 16) in stage IVA, and 7.2% (n = 20) in stage IVB. Among all these patients, 66.4% (n = 182) patients underwent USG, 53.6% (n = 147) underwent CT, 42.7% (n = 117) had MRI, and 3.6% (n = 10) underwent PET-CT. Only 4% (n = 8) and 0.5% (n = 1) patients who underwent USG at staging were detected to have significant parailiac and para-aortic nodes, respectively. On the other hand, 7.66% (n = 21) had significant para-aortic and 44.16% (n = 121) had significant parailiac nodes on other cross-sectional imaging modalities. There was stage migration in 36.86% of patients, with 23.72% upstaged to stage IIIC1.

Conclusion

Fewer lymph nodes were detected on USG than other cross-sectional imaging modalities. Adopting the new FIGO resulted in stage migration in 36.86% of patients, predominantly due to lymph node metastases detected on imaging.


Introduction

Carcinoma of the uterine cervix is a major health problem in India, and each year, approximately 120,000 women have symptoms related to this disease.[1] In India, the total number of deaths due to cervical cancer accounts for 15.2% of total deaths around the world.[1] Until the recent update to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system for the carcinoma cervix, the tumors were staged based on clinical examination. Due to limited access to advanced imaging in low resource setting, pelvic and para-aortic nodal involvement did not feature in the staging system though they are recognized prognostic factors for recurrence and survival.[1]

Since the last publication of the FIGO staging system for cervical cancer in 2009, there have been considerable advancements in imaging modalities. Even though the staging continues to be clinical, clinicians around the world have started using imaging modalities to guide their treatment and for prognostication.[2] The 2018 FIGO cervical cancer staging system keeps the backbone of clinical staging, while incorporating results from imaging and pathology, acknowledging its contribution to treatment planning and prognostication.[3] [4] One of the substantial changes from the previous staging system is that stage IB is now subdivided into three rather than two.[5] In the updated system, stage IB disease, there is increase in the substage with every 2 cm increment in size of the tumor: size < 2cm is staged as IB1, stage IB2 is tumor size of 2 to 4 cm, and stage IB3 is tumor size > 4 cm.[6] [7] In the updated 2018 staging system, para-aortic and parailiac lymph node metastases are assigned stage IIIC, regardless of the size of tumor and local invasion. In such patients, stage IIIC1 is designated to parailiac lymph nodal spread and stage IIIC2 is designated to para-aortic lymph node spread.[1] The use of imaging modalities, such as a positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT)/CT/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/ultrasound (USG), or pathology from a biopsy are necessary to assign either stage IIIC1 or IIIC2. According to the new FIGO 2018 staging system, when imaging is used to diagnose parailiac or para-aortic lymph node metastasis, patients are staged as IIIC1r or IIIC2r, where “r” refers to radiology. Likewise, when a lymph node biopsy pathological report is used, staging is done as IIIC1p or IIIC2p, where “p” refers to pathology.[8] [9] The previous meta-analysis by Selman et al[10] had shown the heterogeneous diagnostic capabilities of the different imaging modalities. However, in resource-poor settings, practitioners will need to make do with what is available. Thus, in this retrospective study, we studied the rates of detection of significant lymph nodes in the different imaging modalities that were used for the evaluation of patients with carcinoma cervix who were staged and treated according to the previous FIGO staging system and the contribution of imaging to stage migration according to the new FIGO staging system (2018).


Materials and Methods

Study Setting and Study Population

This was an institutional review board (IRB)-approved (IRB reference number 12891, dated 08.06.2020) retrospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India. The IRB waived informed consent. Consecutive patients who were diagnosed with cervical cancer and underwent imaging (i.e., CT/MRI/PET-CT/USG) in our center between 2013 and 2017 were included in the study. [Fig. 1] shows a patient flowchart with inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Zoom
Fig. 1 Flowchart of methodology of data assessment.

Imaging Modalities and Image Interpretation

We assessed all the consecutive patients who underwent USG/CT/MRI/PET-CT at the time of diagnosis. These imaging modalities were used to look for lymph node involvement in patients who were diagnosed with cervical cancer. The lymph nodes were interpreted based on different imaging modalities used at the time of diagnosis. On USG, nodes which were ≥ 10 mm in size or necrotic nodes were considered significant, whereas on CT and MRI, para-aortic nodes of ≥ 10 mm and parailiac nodes ≥ 8 mm in size were considered metastatic.[11] Apart from size, nodes with necrosis, irregular shape, loss of fatty hilum, round nodes, and those with heterogeneous signal intensity on MRI were also considered metastatic.[12] An maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of > 4 in a lymph node was considered significant on PET-CT.[13] The stages were documented as per the previous FIGO (2008) and the revised FIGO (2018) staging systems. The old clinical FIGO stage, histopathology findings, and treatment history of the patients were obtained from the electronic medical records.



Statistical Analysis

Descriptive statistics were reported as mean (standard deviation), range for continuous variables, and frequency with percentage for categorical variables. The proportions of patients with lymph node metastases per stage and per imaging modality and the stage migration were reported as percentage. All statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States).


Results

Demographics

A total of 274 patients within the age range of 20 years to more than 70 years were included in the final analysis. The maximum number of patients was within the age group 40 to 50 years (39.1%). On histopathological analysis of the tumors, we found that most of the patients had poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), accounting for 41.6% of the total number of patients, followed by moderately differentiated SCC (∼37.50%). The other histopathological types included: adenocarcinoma (3.69%), well-differentiated SCC (7.95%), adenosquamous carcinoma (1.8%), carcinoma in situ (5.5%), and poorly differentiated SCC (1.8%).


Imaging Modalities

[Fig. 2] demonstrates the usage of various imaging modalities over the years. Our study found that, in 36.9% (n = 100) of patients, USG was used as the primary modality for staging. CT was used as the primary imaging modality for staging in 27.7% of patients (n = 75). Note that 33.6% (n = 91) patients underwent MRI, and 1.82% (n = 5) underwent PET-CT for staging.

Zoom
Fig. 2 Trends of use of imaging modality of choice at the time of diagnosis.

[Fig. 3] illustrates the various imaging modalities used in staging patients within our cohort. In our study, 36.5% (n = 100) patients who initially had USG as the primary imaging modality, underwent advanced imaging techniques such as CT, MRI, and PET-CT for further evaluation and staging. Also, 28.1% (n = 77) and 33.58% (n = 92) patients underwent CT and MRI as the primary imaging, respectively.

Zoom
Fig. 3 Different imaging modalities among the study population.

Lymph Nodes

In our study, the combined mean value of the significant node was 14.41 mm with a size range from 8 to 43 mm. Note that 17.61% (n = 25) nodes were round in morphology, 21.83% (n = 31) were necrotic, 4.13% (n = 5) were irregular in shape, and 9.09% (n = 11) were heterogeneous on various cross-sectional imaging. All the patients who underwent PET-CT had significant SUVmax values. In our analysis, out of all the significant nodes according to size criteria, 44.16% of the patients had significant parailiac node involvement and 7.66% were found to have significant para-aortic lymph node involvement.


Stage Migration

[Tables 1] and [2] compare the old FIGO staging system and the new FIGO 2018 staging system. Our analysis showed stage migration was seen across all the stages in comparison of the old FIGO to the new FIGO 2018 system. A maximum number of stage migration was seen to stage IIICI (n = 65) due to better detection of occult lymph nodes. Four percent of patients (n = 11) were upstaged to stage IVA due to better assessment of metastatic disease. Four patients (1.46%) were upstaged to IIA1, IIA2, and IIB and 6 patients (2.19%) to IIIC2 according to the new FIGO system. Note that 1.82% of patients (n = 5) were upstaged to IB2, while 0.36% (n = 1) to IIIB and IVB.

Table 1

Distribution of patients—comparison between the old FIGO and new FIGO 2018 staging system

Old FIGO staging (N%)

New FIGO 2018 staging (N%)

IA1

1 (0.4)

1

IA2

1 (0.4)

1

IB1

17 (6.2)

3 (1.09)

IB2

3 (1.1)

9 (3.3)

IB3

11 (4)

IIA

11 (4)

IIA1

4 (1.5)

9 (3.3)

IIA2

3 (1.1)

13 (4.75)

IIB

122 (44.5)

92 (33.6)

IIIA

2 (0.7)

IIIB

74 (27)

13 (4.7)

IIIC1

75 (27.3)

IIIC2

14 (5.1)

IVA

16 (5.8)

22 (8)

IVB

20 (7.3)

11 (4)

Total

274

274

Abbreviation: FIGO, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.


Table 2

Distribution of patients—comparison between the old FIGO and new FIGO 2018 staging system demonstrating stage migration

New FIGO stage

Old FIGO stage

1A1

1A2

1B1

1B2

1B3

2A1

2A2

2B

3B

3C1r

3C2r

4A

4B

1A1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1A2

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1B1

0

0

2

5

0

4

2

2

0

2

0

0

0

1B2

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

1

0

0

0

2A

0

0

0

1

1

2

0

1

0

5

0

0

1

2A1

0

0

0

0

0

3

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

2A2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

0

1

0

0

0

2B

0

0

0

3

8

0

3

71

1

31

4

1

0

3A

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

3B

0

0

1

0

2

0

6

16

10

27

2

10

0

4A

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

2

1

10

1

4B

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

3

7

1

9

Abbreviation: FIGO, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.



Imaging Modality and Stage Migration

Our study found that a maximum number of patients had undergone USG as the first imaging modality, approximately 36.9% (n = 100). However, our analysis showed that the diagnostic rate for pelvic nodes was 10.7% (n = 11) and that for para-aortic nodes was 2.9% (n = 3). In comparison, CT and MRI were superior for assessing the pelvic and para-aortic nodes. Our analysis showed, of all the patients who underwent CT, 48.29% (n = 71) patients had significant parailiac nodes and 10.88% (n = 16) patients had significant para-aortic nodes. In contrast, on MRI, 38.46% (n = 45) patients had significant parailiac nodes and 3.42% (n = 4) patients had significant para-aortic nodes. PET-CT showed significant parailiac nodes in 50% (n = 5) of patients and para-aortic nodes in 10% (n = 1) of patients.



Discussion

Carcinoma cervix is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide, with an estimated 604,127 new cases annually.[12] It is the second most common cancer in Indian women, followed by breast cancer, with an estimated 75,209 new cases annually.[14] It is well known that cross-sectional imaging such as CT/MRI and PET-CT delineates parametrial infiltration and the local extent of the tumor with greater sensitivity and specificity as compared with ultrasonography and clinical examination.[6] [15] [16] However, due to logistic reasons and resource constraints, USG was the most common imaging modality used for staging until recently.[17] The revised FIGO 2018 staging system highlighted the role of imaging and included it in the staging system with major modifications in stages II and III.[18] Our study describes the degree of stage migration between the new FIGO staging system introduced in 2019 and the old FIGO system. It highlights the different imaging modalities used for staging and the real-life detection rates of lymph node metastases using different modalities. Given that carcinoma cervix is more prevalent among women of lower socioeconomic groups, our study results are very relevant.

Our study found that there was stage migration in all the stages of carcinoma cervix. Although, over the years, there was an increase in the use of cross-sectional imaging modalities such as CT and MRI, USG was still the first imaging modality used for staging due to better accessibility and its cost-effectiveness. Although our study demonstrated limited diagnostic performance of USG in the assessment of para-aortic and parailiac nodes, enhanced training and refinement of technique may significantly improve its utility in low resource setting.[19]

We found that cross-sectional imaging had better diagnostic performance for significant pelvic and para-aortic nodes, which was the main reason for upstaging many patients with carcinoma cervix.[20] A meta-analysis by Selman et al[10] showed that PET-CT was more accurate than MRI or CT for the lymph nodal status diagnosis. They also found that MRI and CT were inferior to PET-CT, even though they were widely available. Their review suggested that the imaging methods currently used for detecting the lymph node status may be inaccurate. PET-CT may be less invasive and accurate for assessing lymph node status than sentinel node biopsy.[10] Our analysis found that MRI and CT had significant detection rates for lymph nodal metastases. PET-CT, even though not commonly used, when done, had higher detection rates of lymph node metastases. Despite limited diagnostic performance for lymph node metastases, limitations in detecting early-stage cervical cancers, and the study being conducted in a tertiary care hospital with all imaging modalities available, USG was the first and the primary imaging modality used for the detection and preliminary staging of cervical cancer in more than a third of cervical cancer patients (36.9%) in our center alongside the PAP smear test and clinical examination. This is a direct reflection of poor affordability of diagnostic care among women with carcinoma cervix. In low-resource health settings, USG may be the only available imaging modality. For these reasons, it is important to understand the lymph node detection rates using USG and harness its potential. Bowel gas and over- or underdistension of the bladder, choice of USG machine settings, equipment quality, and training gaps are key factors that may influence the diagnostic performance of USG for lymph node metastases. Methods are needed to improve diagnostic accuracy of USG. [Figs. 4] to [7] show examples of metastatic nodes on different imaging modalities.

Zoom
Fig. 4 Ultrasound of the abdomen showing significant right parailiac node (A) and para-aortic nodes (B) in one of our patients from the study population.
Zoom
Fig. 5 Computed tomography (CT) performed in one of our patients in the study population shows an enlarged right parailiac node (yellow arrow). This patient was clinically staged as IIB. According to the new International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2018, the patient was restaged as IIIC1r.
Zoom
Fig. 6 Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) of a patient from our cohort with significant para-aortic node (star).
Zoom
Fig. 7 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pelvis shows a large mass in the cervix (orange circle) with parametrial infiltration and enlarged necrotic right parailiac lymph node metastases (orange arrow).

In our study, we found that 53.64% of patients underwent CT, and 42.7% of patients had MRI. It was found that 7.66% of patients had significant para-aortic nodes and 44.16% had significant parailiac nodes. Of the 274 patients in our study, 36.86% were upstaged when the FIGO 2018 staging system was used. Stage migration in these patients was attributable to the detection of lymph node metastasis in 30.29%. The degree of stage migration in our study cohort was comparable with the results of other studies ([Table 3]).[21] [22] [23] [24]

Table 3

Stage migration according to the FIGO stage 2018 (a comparison of various studies)

Stage migration according to FIGO stage 2018

Yan et al[21]

(N = 662)

Zeng et al[22]

(N = 251)

Grigsby et al[23]

(N = 1,282)

Tomizawa et al[24]

(N = 221)

Dhamija et al

(N = 226)

Our analysis

(N = 274)

Place of study

China

China

USA

Japan

India

India

IBI

149 (22.5%)

96 (38.2%)

1 (0.08%)

IB2

122 (18.4%)

109 (43.4%)

13 (1%)

5 (1.82%)

IB3

91 (13.7%)

28 (11%)

39 (3%)

IIA1

52 (7.8%)

1 (0.08%)

4 (1.46%)

IIA2

59 (9%)

4 (1.46%)

IIB

12 (0.9%)

83 (37.5%)

4 (1.46%)

IIIB

72 (5.6%)

1 (0.36%)

IIIC1

171(25.8%)

18 (7%)

380 (29.6%)

67 (30.3%)

19

(8.4%)

65 (23.72%)

IIIC2

16 (2.4%)

140 (11%)

30 (13.6%)

43

(19%)

6 (2.19%)

IVA

2

(0.8%)

11 (4%)

IVB

90 (7%)

8

(3.5%)

1 (0.36%)

Abbreviation: FIGO, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.


Our study maps the use of various imaging modalities in the staging of cervical cancer. It brings to light the degree of stage migration, especially caused by the detection of lymph node metastases on imaging. However, the result of our study is limited by its retrospective nature and referral bias. Fewer early-stage cervical cancer patients in our cohort reflect our practice as a tertiary care referral center where the majority of patients have an advanced stage at presentation. While we could study the detection rates of lymph node metastases in different imaging modalities, a direct head-to-head comparison of different modalities was not possible since patients only underwent one or two of these modalities. However, ours is real-world data on the use of different imaging modalities in cervical cancer patients. In our clinical setting, the selection of imaging modalities such as CT/MRI is not guided by standardized training protocols but is instead largely influenced by the patient's financial capacity. Often necessitating a more pragmatic and cost conscious approach to imaging decisions. We could not present survival outcomes and follow-up data since it was beyond the current study's scope, which is a limitation.

In conclusion, a significant number of patients with cervical cancer had a change of stage or stage migration when the old and the new FIGO staging systems were applied. Of them, 30.29% were due to lymph node metastases. In resource-constraint health care settings, the diagnostic yield of expertly performed USG warrants further evaluation to determine its potential role in guiding clinical decision-making.



Conflict of Interest

None declared.


Address for correspondence

Anuradha Chandramohan, MD, FRCR, FICR
Department of Radiology, Christian Medical College
Vellore 632004, Tamil Nādu
India   

Publication History

Article published online:
25 June 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
A-12, 2nd Floor, Sector 2, Noida-201301 UP, India


Zoom
Fig. 1 Flowchart of methodology of data assessment.
Zoom
Fig. 2 Trends of use of imaging modality of choice at the time of diagnosis.
Zoom
Fig. 3 Different imaging modalities among the study population.
Zoom
Fig. 4 Ultrasound of the abdomen showing significant right parailiac node (A) and para-aortic nodes (B) in one of our patients from the study population.
Zoom
Fig. 5 Computed tomography (CT) performed in one of our patients in the study population shows an enlarged right parailiac node (yellow arrow). This patient was clinically staged as IIB. According to the new International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2018, the patient was restaged as IIIC1r.
Zoom
Fig. 6 Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) of a patient from our cohort with significant para-aortic node (star).
Zoom
Fig. 7 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pelvis shows a large mass in the cervix (orange circle) with parametrial infiltration and enlarged necrotic right parailiac lymph node metastases (orange arrow).