Magnetic resonance imaging of primary lymphoma of the cervix

Although uterus and cervix infiltration is a frequent finding in the later stages of lymphomatous disease, primary lymphoma of the cervix is very uncommon; however, this entity can occasionally be distinguished from cervical carcinoma by means of MRI. This is an important fact as treatment and prognosis differ between these neoplasms. We present a case of primary cervical lymphoma studied with high-field (1.5 T) MRI and we make an extensive review of the literature. The cervical mass was found in a routine pelvic examination in a patient with no previous history of gynecologic disorders. This is an uncommon way of presentation of this disease. T2-weighted turbo spin-echo (TSE) sequences in the axial, sagittal, and coronal planes, and T1-weighted SE pre- and post-contrast images, were obtained. The lack of involvement of the mucosa, as well as sparing of cervical stroma and uterine junctional zone, are the most important findings to differentiate cervical lymphoma from carcinoma, and are best evaluated with T2 TSE sequences. Post-contrast images help to delineate the extent of the disease. (orig.)