ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to report the false-negative rate of positron-emission tomography (PET) /Computed Tomography (CT) for para-aortic (PA) lymph node (LN) metastasis and to examine if PA lymphadenectomy could be omitted when PET/CT of the pelvic area is negative. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients without evidence of extrapelvic disease on preoperative imaging or in the PA area were included. Each patient underwent a laparoscopic PA lymphadenectomy. RESULTS: A total of 61 patients were included. Seven patients (11%) had PALN metastasis. The false-negative rate of PET/CT was 11%. When PET/CT was positive for pelvic nodes, the risk for PA metastasis was 18% versus 8% when PET/CT was negative in the pelvic area (p=0.24). CONCLUSION: The apparent low sensitivity of the PET/CT does not make it a relevant alternative to surgical LN staging when no uptake is visualized in the PA area. However, for patients in whom PET/CT is negative in the pelvic area, the risk of metastasis in the PA area is low.