Survival of Cervical Cancer Patients Presenting with Occult Supraclavicular Metastases Detected by FDG-Positron Emission Tomography/CT: Impact of Disease Extent and Treatment

AIMS: The study aimed to do the following: (1) describe progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of women with cervical cancer presenting with occult supraclavicular lymph node (SCLN) metastases, identified by positron emission tomography CT (PET-CT) and (2) compare OS of patients with isolated SCLN metastases to that of patients with SCLN and extranodal metastatic disease. METHODS: Patients were identified retrospectively. Treatment intent was abstracted. PFS and OS in the high-dose chemo-radiotherapy (RT), palliative RT, and supportive treatment groups, as well as OS of patients with SCLN metastases only vs. SCLN and extranodal metastases were calculated. RESULTS: Fourteen patients received high-dose chemo-RT, 32 received palliative RT, and 6 received supportive care (n = 52). Median PFS was 3 months in high-dose chemo-RT group and 1 month in palliative RT (p = ns). Median OS was 12 months in high-dose chemo-RT group, 7 months in palliative RT group, and 2 months in palliative care group (p = 0.05). OS was significantly different between patients with isolated SCLN disease vs. SCLN and extranodal disease, that is, 10.5 vs. 3 months (p = 0.009, χ2 = 6.9). CONCLUSIONS: In this limited analysis, median OS of cervical cancer patients with PET/CT-positive SCLN metastases was the longest when treated with high-dose chemo-RT. Patients with SCLN and extranodal metastases experienced significantly shorter OS, as compared to patients with SCLN only disease.