Comparison of CT and MRI in T staging of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Objective:To compare the data of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) by computerized tomography (CT) versus magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to analyze the different influences on the Chieses '92 staging system and the 02 International Union Against Carcer/American Joint Committee on Cancer (UICC/AJCC) staging system. Methods: Five hundred ninty-two cases pathologically proved as nasopharyngeal carcinoma were selected. Clinical stage was classified according to the Chieses '92 staging system and the 02 UICC/AJCC staging system, respectively, based on both of CT/ MRI imaging data and clinical information. Results: MRI was later than CT in detecting the stage, 59.4% of T1+T2 stage on CT and 39.9% on MRI for the Chieses '92 staging system (P=0.000), and 61.0% of T1+T2 stage on CT and 46.6% on MRI for the 6th edition UICC/AJCC staging system (P=0.001). Compared with stage, 32.4% of T4 on the Chieses '92 staging system and 22% of T4 on the 02ICC/AJCC staging system (P=0.001). Conclusion: Compared with CT, MRI has a remarkable advange in detecting the T stage of NPC. There was no statistical difference between the Chieses '92 staging system and the 02 UICC/AJCC staging system in detecting the T stage.