Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Staging in Women with Endometrial Cancer: A Correlation with Histopathology

Endometrial cancer is the most frequent genitourinary tract malignancy in women. Women with endometrial cancer mostly refer at early stages of the disease which leads to good prognosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has a crucial role in staging of the cancer. As there are little studies regarding the correlation between histopathology and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging in Iranian women with endometrial cancer, we designed this study to assess the relationship between histopathology and FIGO staging with MRI in Iranian women with endometrial cancer.

This retrospective study was conducted in Imam Khomeini hospital complex between January 2015 and January 2018. All MRIs were performed on a 3T system. All imaging was done in Imam Hospital under observation of attending Radiologists with 10 and 20 years of work experience in women’s imaging who conducted this research. Obtained surgical specimens were assessed by an expert pathologist in the field of cancer and type of cancers were determined.

Thirty two women with proved endometrial cancer (D&C or endometrial biopsy) were enrolled. Mean age was 55.2±10.7 years and all women referred to our clinic with vaginal bleeding. The most common FIGO staging was IA (14, 43.75%) and the most frequent pathology was endometrioid type adenocarcinoma (30, 93.7%) (60% well differentiated, 13.3% moderately differentiated, and 26.6% poorly differentiated). Most cases with endometrioid type poorly differentiated referred with IIIC1 stage of cancer, most patients with endometrioid type well differentiated referred with stage IA, a patient with clear cell cancer referred with stage IIIB, and patients with sarcoma referred with stages IB, and IV.

 Patients with poor differentiated endometrial cancer referred with higher stages of the cancer.