2018 FIGO Staging Classification for Cervical Cancer: Added Benefits of Imaging

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women of all ages worldwide. The disease is staged using the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) system, which was updated in 2018. The authors explain the key changes from the 2009 version and the rationale behind them. The changes have been made to reflect common clinical practice, differentiate prognostic outcomes, and guide treatment stratification. Treatment options are dependent on the stage of disease and include fertility-sparing and non–fertility-sparing surgical options as well as chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced disease. The updated FIGO staging gives added importance to MRI as a method of accurately measuring tumor size and depicting the presence of parametrial involvement. With the inclusion of lymph node involvement in the updated 2018 FIGO staging, cross-sectional imaging—and in particular, fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT—has an increasing role in the depiction of nodal disease. Understanding the radiologic techniques used, the literature supporting them, and common imaging pitfalls ensures accurate staging of disease and optimization of treatment. ©RSNA, 2020 See discussion on this article by Javitt (pp 1823–1824).