Prevalence of Para-Aortic Lymphadenopathy in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer using Computed Tomography: A Retrospective Study

Introduction: Determination of status of Para-Aortic Lymph Node (PALN) in patients with cervical cancer is one of the most important factors guiding the treatment. It is essential in determining individualised therapy and prognosis. Aim: To assess the prevalence of para-aortic lymphadenopathy among patients with advanced cervical carcinoma referred for radiotherapy. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of patients referred to Radiotherapy and Oncology Department of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria was carried out. Patient demographics, history of comorbid conditions, histology, stage at diagnosis, and Computed Tomographic (CT) scan findings of enlarged PALN greater or equal to 10 mm in short axis diameter were retrieved. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS statistics version 23. Results: A total of 220 patients, age range 27-84 years with mean age 49.95 +/- 11.96 years were studied. The histological diagnosis were squamous cell carcinoma in 182 (87.2%), adenocarcinoma in 22 (10%), clear cell carcinoma in 9 (4.1%) while 7 (3.2%) patients had other histological variants. Comorbities found were chronic cervicitis and HIV in 27 (12.3%) and 19 (8.6%) of the patients, respectively. CT prevalence of PALN was 23 (10.5%). The prevalence of PALN according to International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage were 4.3%, 17.4%, 34.8%, 30.4% and 13.0% in stages IIB, IIIA, IIIB, IVA and IVB, respectively. Clinical stage determined based on physical examination and imaging findings, was shown to be related to PALN by univariate analysis (.2=29.162, p= 0.0001). Conclusion: This study found a 10.5% prevalence of paraaortic lymphadenopathy and a significant relationship between clinical stage and PALN. This should be taken into consideration during treatment planning for patients with advanced cervical carcinoma.