Assessment of Tumour Vascularity by Transvaginal Colour Doppler Ultrasound: a Novel Prognostic Factor of Cancer Cervix

Background: Ransvaginal Color Doppler Ultrasound is proposed as a novel prognostic tool in women with cervical cancer. We evaluated the assessment of tumour vascularity as a prognostic factor and its correlation with other well-known prognostic factors such as tumour size, parametrial invasion and lymph node status determined by MRI. Method: Transvaginal Colour Doppler Ultrasound (TVCDUS) was used to assess vascularity of tumour among 56 patients with histologically proven cervical carcinoma. A visual analyzing system of 1 to 5 was used to grade vascularity. Correlation between the visual grading of vascularity and size of lesion, lymphadenopathy and stromal invasion were studied. Result: All patients who had a tumour volume of >0.1cm3 had abundant vascularisation (a vascularity of 4 or more on visual grading). Thirteen out of 15 patients who had lymphadenopathy had a visual grading of vascularity of 4 or more. Out of 45 patients who showed parametrial invasion 20 had a visual grading of vascularity of ≥ 4. Conclusion: The vascularity of tumour as assessed by TVCDUS correlated very well with well established prognostic factors of cancer cervix such as lymphadenopathy, parametrial invasion and size of tumour mass lesion. Transvaginal colour Doppler ultrasound is a useful non-invasive method to assess tumour vascularity, which has some value in predicting prognosis.