# The diagnostic and prognostic value of real-time ultrasound elastography combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound parameters for cervical cancer

## TL;DR

This study shows that combining real-time ultrasound elastography and contrast-enhanced ultrasound improves the diagnosis and prognosis prediction of cervical cancer.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates the combined diagnostic and prognostic value of RTE and CEUS parameters in cervical cancer for the first time.

## Key findings

- RTE and CEUS parameters were significantly higher in the malignant group compared to the benign group.
- The combined use of RTE and CEUS parameters showed better predictive efficacy for prognosis than using them individually.
- Parameters like elasticity score and AUC correlated with cancer staging and pathological grading.

## Abstract

This study aimed to explore the diagnostic and prognostic value of real-time tissue elastography (RTE) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) parameters in cervical cancer (CC).

This retrospective study included RTE and CEUS records of 144 patients who underwent cervical ultrasound in Xi’an People’s Hospital from January 2022 to August 2023. Patients were grouped into the malignant group and the benign group based on the characteristics of the cervical lesions. The RTE and CEUS parameters were compared between the groups and between patients with different pathological features and prognoses within the malignant group. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive value of RTE and CEUS parameters for the prognosis of patients with malignant CC.

The elasticity score, strain ratio (SR), time to peak (TTP), peak intensity (PI), and area under the curve (AUC) of the malignant group were higher than those of the benign group (P<0.05). There were significant differences in the levels of RTE and CEUS parameters among patients with different International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages and pathological grades (P<0.05). The RTE and CEUS parameter levels positively correlated with the FIGO staging and pathological grading of cervical cancer (P<0.05). The elasticity score, TTP, PI, SR, and AUC of patients with poor prognosis were higher than those with good prognosis (P<0.05). The combined predictive efficacy of RTE and CEUS parameters for the prognosis of CC was superior to their individual predictions.

The combination of RTE and CEUS parameters of CC patients are closely related to the pathological characteristics and prognosis of the disease.