Objetive:

Evaluate the usefulness of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in order to assess myometrial and cervical tumor infiltration in endometrial carcinoma.

Patients and Methods:

A retrospective review of 26 patient’s MRI studies with histological confirmation of endometrial cancer was conducted (diagnosis by endometrial cancer biopsy). Pre-surgical staging and correlation with the histological staging of the operative piece was performed. Concordance, sensitivity (S), specificity (SP), positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of the method for the deepening of the tumor in the myometrial thickness and the invasion of the cervix were studied. The possible causes of overestimation and underestimation were analyzed.

Results:

MRI evaluation for the myometrial infiltration by stage and cervix invasion generated these results: S of 72.2%, 75%, 66.7%, SP of 75%, 72.2%, 95.7%, PPV of 86.7%, 54.5%, 66.7%, NPV of 54.5%, 86.7%, 95.7% (for stages IA, IB and II respectively). Five cases were overestimated for myometrial infiltration and 1 for the cervix; 2 cases were underestimated for myometrial infiltration and 1 case for the cervix. A moderate concordance was found for stage I and a good concordance for stage II.

Conclusion:

MRI is a useful tool for pre-surgical staging of endometrial carcinoma with a moderate to good reliability, which added to the type and histological grade, helps to determine the most appropriate therapeutic strategy.

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