Apport de l’échographie Doppler avec injection de contraste pour la prise en charge des cancers du col de l’utérus de stades IB et II par chimioradiothérapie concomitante

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether angiogenic parameters as assessed by transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound and by enhanced cervix ultrasound may predict prognostic factors of stage IB greater than 4cm and II cervical cancer treated by radiochemotherapy. A total of 40 patients with histologically proven advanced stage invasive cervical cancer will be evaluated by color Doppler, contrast ultrasound, and MRI before radiotherapy, after the second chemotherapy cycle and prior to surgery. Subjective assessment of the amount of vessels within the tumor (scanty-moderate or abundant) and resistance index (RI) will be recorded for Doppler, enhancement and washout period will be studied after injection of SonoVue® for contrast ultrasound. All patients will have radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection. Comparison with MRI results will be done. The main parameter studied will be persistence of tumor cells in the analysis of the radical hysterectomy. We expected to correlate contrast parameters with persistent disease in order to confirm ultrasound parameters that will be useful to monitor radiochemotherapy and to predict therapeutic answer of such treatment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]