Clinical significance of CT detected enlarged cardiophrenic nodes in ovarian cancer patients

Aim To assess the relevance of enlarged cardiophrenic lymph nodes (CPLN) seen on staging CT of ovarian cancer patients. Methods Retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients with primary ovarian malignancy who underwent staging CT between 2013 and 2016. Images were reviewed by two radiologists in consensus. Enlarged CPLN was defined as a short axis diameter >= 7 mm. Clinical and imaging findings; management decisions; outcome of cytoreductive surgery and survival were compared between patients with and without enlarged CPLN on staging CT. Results Enlarged CPLN were found in 42 patients (41.5%) and was significantly associated with higher radiological PCI (p = 0.002); large volume upper abdominal disease (p = 0.001); enlarged lesser omental, periportal and supra-renal para-aortic lymph nodes (p <= 0.05); unfavorable sites of disease involvement (p < 0.001) and extraperitoneal metastases (p = 0.004). While there was a significant difference in the number of patients who underwent primary and interval debulking (p = 0.002), there was no difference in the rates of optimal cytoreduction between the two groups (p = 0.469). After adjusting for outcomes of cytoreductive surgery, CT detected enlarged CPLN did not adversely affect the overall survival, HR 1.5 (0.708-3.4),p = 0.272, but adversely affected the recurrence free survival (HR 2.38 (1.25-4.53)),p = 0.008. Conclusions Enlarged CPLN detected on staging CT in patients with primary ovarian cancer is clinically significant even in the developing world and is associated with higher volume of peritoneal, non-regional nodal and extraperitoneal disease and lower recurrence free survival.

Automated summary

Enlarged cardiophrenic lymph nodes seen on staging CT in ovarian cancer patients are significantly associated with higher volume of peritoneal, non-regional nodal and extraperitoneal disease, as well as lower recurrence free survival, indicating their clinical significance in this patient population.