Reston, VA - A recent study reported in the April issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine found that cervical cancer patients without enlarged lymph nodes could benefit from SPECT-MRI imaging of their sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) to assess whether metastases are present. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide, with more than 500,000 new cases globally each year. According to a 2014 University of Maryland study, cervical cancer affects 18.6 women per 100,000 in the United States. Early diagnosis is critical. Although surgical removal and examination of the sentinel lymph nodes remains the most accurate way to determine whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, SPECT-MRI imaging may reduce false negative MRI findings in early-stage patients and potentially save some from invasive diagnostic procedures.