Table 1. Characteristics of Included Studies.
| Study ID | Country/ Region | Study type | N | Age | Types of cancer | Targeted lymph nodes | Unit of analysis | Imaging |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonsen 2013 [10] | Denmark | P | 268* | 65(29-94) | Endometrial cancer | PLN/PALN | Patient | PET-CT |
| Bandy 1985 [11] | USA | R | 44 | - | Carcinoma of cervix | PLN/PALN | Patient | CT |
| Boonya-ussadorn 2014 [12] | Thailand | R | 33 | 53.7 | Endometrial cancer | PLN | Patient/Region | PET-CT, CT/MRI |
| Cabrita 2008 [13] | Portugal | P | 162 | 64.6(22-94) | Endometrial carcinoma | PLN | Patient | MRI |
| Camilien 1988 [14] | USA | R | 51 | - | Carcinoma of cervix | PLN/PALN | Patient | CT |
| Chao 2006 [15] | Taiwan | P | 49 | 55(30-81) | Endometrial cancer | PLN/PALN | Region | PET, CT/MRI |
| Chen 2011-a [16] | China | P | 61 | 46(25-60) | Uterine cervical cancer | PLN | Node | MRI, DWI |
| Chen 2011-b [17] | China | P | 26 | 35(26-58) | Cervical carcinoma | PLN | Node | DWI |
| Chen 2016 [18] | China | R | 33 | 50.3(28-69) | Endometrial cancer | PLN | Patient | MRI |
| Cheng 1999 [19] | Taiwan | P | 104 | 50.6 | Carcinoma of Cervix | PLN | Patient | TVS |
| Cheung 1998 [20] | Hong Kong | P | 32* | 45(21-64) | Cervical cancer | PLN | Patient | LS, CT |
| Choi 2006-a [21] | Korea | P | 22 | 50(25-65) | Uterine cervical carcinoma | PLN/PALN | Patient/Region | MRI, PET-CT |
| Choi 2006-b [22] | Korea | R | 55 | 48(18-65) | Uterine cervical cancer | PLN/PALN | Region/Node | MRI |
| Chou 2006 [23] | Taiwan | P | 60 | 48(28-75) | Cervical cancer | PLN | Patient | PET |
| Chung 2007 [24] | Korea | R | 119 | 50(28-81) | Cervical cancer | PLN/PALN | Patient/Region | MRI |
| Chung 2009 [25] | Korea | R | 34 | 45.5(28-70) | Cervical cancer | PLN | Patient/Region | PET-CT |
| Chung 2010 [26] | Korea | R | 83 | 47(24-80) | Cervical cancer | PLN/PALN | Patient | MRI, PET-CT |
| Crivellaro 2013 [27] | Italy | P | 76 | 62.9(27-86) | Endometrial cancer | PLN/PALN | Patient/Region | PET-CT |
| Driscoll 2015 [28] | Ireland | R | 47 | 48(22-86) | Uterine cervical cancer | PLN | Patient | PET-CT |
| Greco 1989 [29] | UK | R | 46 | - | Cervical carcinoma | PLN | Patient | MRI |
| Grumbine 1981 [30] | USA | R | 24 | - | Cervical cancer | PLN | Patient | CT |
| Han 2010 [31] | Korea | R | 300* | - | Endometrial cancer | PLN | Patient | CT/MRI |
| Hawighorst 1998 [32] | Germany | P | 33 | 55(20-68) | Uterine cervical cancer | PLN | Patient | MRI |
| Hawnaur 1994 [33] | UK | R | 50* | 18-55 | Carcinoma of cervix | PLN | Patient/Node | MRI |
| Henrich 2007 [34] | Germany | P | 39 | 61.5(38-87) | Ovarian cancer | PLN | Patient | TVS |
| Horowitz 2004 [35] | USA | P | 19 | 66(54-90) | Uterine corpus cancer | PLN/PALN | Patient/Region | PET |
| Huang 2011 [36] | China | R | 196 | 50.3(28-69) | Endometrial cancer | PLN | Patient | DWI |
| Husby 2015 [37] | Norway | P | 102 | - | Endometrial carcinoma | PLN | Patient | PET-CT |
| Inubashiri 2009 [38] | Korea | R | 46 | 56(37-87) | Uterine corpus cancer | PLN | Patient/Region | PET, CT, MRI |
| Janus 1989 [39] | USA | P | 22 | 25-66 | Cervical carcinoma | PLN | Patient | CT, MRI |
| Keller 2004 [40] | Switzerland | P | 13* | 51 | Cervical/Endometrial/Vulvar cancer | PLN | Patient | MRI |
| Kim 1990 [41] | Korea | P | 30 | 48(31-70) | Uterine cervical carcinoma | PLN | Region | CT, MRI |
| Kim 1993 [42] | Korea | R | 99 | 48(27-71) | Uterine cervical carcinoma | PLN | Hemi-pelvic | CT, MRI |
| Kim 1994 [43] | Korea | R | 136 | 49(26-71) | Uterine cervical cancer | PLN | Hemi-pelvic | MRI |
| Kim 2008 [44] | Korea | R | 125 | 48 | Uterine cervical cancer | PLN | Patient/Region | DWI |
| Kim 2011 [45] | Korea | R | 143 | 48(24-73) | Uterine cervical cancer | PLN | Node | MRI, DWI |
| Kitajima 2008 [46] | Japan | P | 40 | 56(43-77) | Endometrial cancer | PLN/PALN | Patient/Node | PET-CT |
| Kitajima 2013 [47] | Japan | R | 30 | 62.4(30-88) | Endometrial cancer | PLN | Patient | PET-MRI, PET-CT,MRI |
| Klar 2010 [48] | Germany | P | 13 | - | Uterine corpus cancer | PLN/PALN | Patient | PET |
| Klerkx 2012 [49] | Netherlands | P | 68 | - | Early stage cervical cancer | PLN | Region | MRI, DWI |
| Koplay 2014 [50] | Turkey | R | 58 | 58(42-78) | Endometrial cancer | PLN | Patient | DWI |
| Li 2011-a [51] | China | R | 42 | 49(39-67) | Cervical/Endometrial cancer | Internal iliac | Patient | TVS |
| Li 2011-b [52] | China | R | 62 | 51(35-65) | Cervical/Endometrial cancer | Obturator | Patient | TVS |
| Liao 2008 [53] | China | P | 53 | 45 (25-59) | Cervical carcinoma | PLN | Node | MRI, DWI |
| Liu 2011 [54] | China | R | 42 | 45.3 (30-62) | Uterine cervical cancer | PLN | Node | MRI, DWI |
| Lv 2015 [55] | China | R | 87 | 55(45-73) | Cervical cancer | PLN | Patient/Node | PET-CT, MRI |
| Ma 2009 [56] | China | R | 275 | 21-70 | Uterine cervical carcinoma | PLN | Hemi-pelvic | CT |
| Matsukuma 1989 [57] | Japan | R | 70 | - | Carcinoma of cervix | PLN/PALN | Patient/Region | CT |
| Nakamura 2010 [58] | Japan | R | 44 | 60.5(47-87) | Endometrial cancer | PLN | Patient | PET-CT |
| Nakamura 2011 [59] | Japan | R | 106 | 59.32(34-87) | Endometrial cancer | PLN | Patient | PET-CT |
| Nogami 2014 [60] | Japan | R | 123 | - | Cervical/Endometrial cance | PLN | Patient | PET-CT |
| Ozalp 1999 [61] | Turkey | P | 37 | 54.3(12-75) | Ovarian/endometrial cancer | PLN/PALN | Patient | CT |
| Park 2008 [62] | Korea | R | 53 | 52(27-68) | Uterine corpus cancer | PLN/PALN | Patient/Region | PET-CT, MRI |
| Picchio 2010 [63] | Italy | R | 32* | 61(35-79) | Endometrial cancer | PLN | Patient | PET-CT |
| Rechichi 2013 [64] | Italy | R | 40 | 56(45-69) | Endometrial cancer | PLN | Region | DWI, MRI |
| Reinhardt 2001 [65] | Germany | P | 35 | 49(26-78) | Cervical cancer | PLN, PALN | Patient/Region | MRI, PET |
| Rizzo 2014 [66] | Italy | P | 217 | 46.2 | Cervical cancer | PLN | Region | MRI |
| Sawicki 2003 [67] | Poland | P | 90 | 63.3(32-86) | Endometrial cancer | PLN | Patient | TVS |
| Signorelli 2009 [68] | Italy | P | 37 | 61(59-78) | Endometrial cancer | PLN | Patient/Region | PET-CT |
| Signorelli 2013 [69] | Italy | P | 68 | 42(16-91) | Ovarian cancer | PLN/PALN | Patient/Region | PET-CT |
| Sironi 2006 [70] | Italy | P | 47 | (29-71) | Cervical cancer | PLN | Patient | PET-CT |
| Subak 1995 [71] | USA | R | 79* | 53.3(29-82) | Cervical cancer | PLN | Patient | CT, MRI |
| Sufian 2014 [72] | Pakistan | R | 48 | 55(20-79) | Carcinoma endometrium, Cervix or ovary cancer | PLN | Node | MRI |
| Suga 2011 [73] | Japan | R | 40* | 56(27-81) | Endometrial cancer | PLN/PALN | Patient/Region | PET/PET-CT |
| Sugiyama 1995 [74] | Japan | R | 95 | - | Ovarian cancer | PLN/PALN | Patient | CT |
| Suzuki 2007 [75] | Japan | P | 30 | 55.4(27-73) | Endometrial cancer | PLN/PALN | Patient | PET, CT/MRI |
| Teng 2015 [76] | China | R | 167 | 57.9(34-80) | Endometrial carcinoma | PLN | Patient | MRI |
| Unger 2005 [77] | USA | R | 13 | 40.8(33.6-48) | Cervical cancer | PLN | Patient | PET, CT |
| Van Engelshoven 1984 [78] | Netherlands | R | 56* | - | Cervical cancer | PLN | Patient | CT |
| Vas 1985 [79] | USA | R | 59* | 28-91 | Carcinoma of cervix | PLN/PALN | Patient | CT |
| Vijaykumar 1995 [80] | India | R | 75 | - | Cervical carcinoma | PLN | Patient | TAS |
| Walsh 1981 [81] | USA | P | 77* | 56(30-90) | Carcinoma of cervix | PLN | Patient | CT |
| Wang 2015 [82] | China | R | 104 | 44.3(21-67) | Ovarian malignant tumor | PLN | Patient | PET-CT |
| Wright 2005 [83] | USA | R | 59 | 43 | Cervical carcinoma | PLN/PALN | Patient/Node | PET |
| Xue 2008 [84] | China | R | 24 | 37.9 | Carcinoma of cervix | PLN | Node | DWI |
| Yang 1999 [85] | Hong Kong | P | 31 | 45(21-64) | Uterine cervical cancer | PLN | Region | LS |
| Yang 2000 [86] | Hon Kong | P | 43 | 46(21-79) | Uterine cervical cancer | PLN | Hemi-pelvic/Node | CT, MRI |
| Yeh 2002 [87] | Taiwan | P | 42 | - | Uterine cervical cancer | PLN/PALN | Patient | PET |
| Yoo 2009 [88] | Korea | R | 99 | 49 (29-78) | Uterine cancer | PLN | Node | MRI |
| Zhang 2014 [89] | China | R | 125 | 42.51 (25-72) | Cervical cancer | PLN | Patient | MRI/DWI |
Abbreviations: P, prospective; R, retrospective; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; PET, positron emission tomography; CT, computed tomography; DWI, diffusion-weighted imaging; PET-CT, positron emission tomographyplus computed tomography; PLN, pelvic lymph nodes; PALN, para-aortic lymph nodes; TVS, Trans-vaginal ultrasound; LS, Laparoscopic sonography; TAS, Transabdominal Ultrasound; ROI, region of interest; CT/MRI, some patients got CT and others got MRI, mixed data reported with no separate data; MRI/DWI, some patients got DWI and others got MRI, mixed data reported with no separate data; PET/PET-CT, some patients got PET and others got PET-CT, mixed data reported with no separate data
* only part of patients were included in present study.