Diagnostic Accuracy Of Diffusion-Weighted Megnatic Resonance Imaging In Detecting Cervical Cancer Taking Histopathology As Gold Standard

Abstract

Background: Cervical cancer is still a big public health problem in many parts of the world, especially in low and middle income countries. Prompt and correct diagnosis is crucial to prompt treatment and better patient outcomes. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI-MRI) is a new non-invasive imaging method which has proved to be a promising approach in the diagnosis of cervical malignancies. Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of MRI DWI in detecting cervical cancer taking histopathology as gold standard. Method: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in Department of Diagnostics Radiology, Jinnah Hospital, Lahore,  during  January 2024 to September 2024. A non-probability consecutive sampling method was used to enroll a total of 100 women in the age range 25-65 years with suspected cervical cancer. DWI-MRI was performed on all the subjects, and ADC was measured. Histopathological examination of cervical biopsy specimens was used as the reference standard. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and overall diagnostic accuracy of DWI-MRI were computed. Results: Cervical cancer was confirmed by histopathology in 24% of the patients. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and overall diagnostic accuracy of DWI-MRI were 87.5%, 85.5%, 65.6%, 95.6% and 86.0% respectively. The age of the participants was 47.3±9.8 years. Conclusion: The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of DWI-MRI for detecting cervical cancer were high. It is an important non-invasive imaging modality in the evaluation of malignancy in the cervical region as well as in the work up of a suspected malignancy in the neck.