Surgery for early stage cervical cancer: How radical should it be?

Objective

Less radical or non radical surgery for early-stage cervical cancer has been proposed to reduce morbidity while maintaining oncologic outcomes. Given that a standardized approach to conservative surgery is not yet available, we have summarized the literature on less radical surgery to better inform clinical practice.

Methods

MEDLINE R and MEDLINE in-process and non-indexed citations were searched from inception to April 14, 2013 to identify all English-language articles evaluating less-radical or non radical surgery for invasive cervical carcinoma. Articles including patients with squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma were included and a narrative review of the literature is presented.

Results

Radical surgery is associated with significant adverse effects in terms of urinary function, sexual function, and body image. Radical trachelectomy is an accepted fertility-sparing option, but still leads to morbidity from parametrectomy. The importance of the parametrectomy in patients with small early-stage tumors has been questioned recently, and many studies have found simple hysterectomy and simple trachelectomy can be safe in appropriately selected patients. Cone biopsy may be a fertility-sparing option in those patients with a very low risk of parametrial involvement. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is also being investigated as a method to reduce the need for radical surgery. Sentinel lymph node biopsy is discussed as a method to reduce the morbidity while increasing the sensitivity of pelvic lymph node assessment in women with early cervical cancers. Finally, the treatment of early adenocarcinoma is addressed.

Conclusions

It appears many women with early-stage cervical cancer can be treated less radically than has been done in the past. Large prospective trials are underway to further define candidates for less-radical surgery.     

Oncological and pregnancy outcomes after high-dose density neoadjuvant chemotherapy and fertility-sparing surgery in cervical cancer

Objective

28 women under 35 years with early-stage cervical cancer and strong desire for fertility preservation that do not fulfil standard criteria for fertility-sparing surgery (tumour larger than 2 cm or with deep of infiltration more than half of stroma) were included in prospective study.

Methods

Dose-dense neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) was performed on all 28 patients in 10-day intervals: cisplatin plus ifosfamide in squamous cell cancer (15 women—53.6%) or cisplatin plus doxorubicin in adenocarcinoma (13 women—46.3%). Patients underwent laparoscopic lymphadenectomy and vaginal simple trachelectomy after NAC. Patients with positive lymph nodes or inadequate free surgical margins underwent radical hysterectomy.

Results

No residual disease was found in 6 women (21.4%), microscopic disease was observed in 11 women (39.3%) and macroscopic tumour in was observed in 11 women (39.3%). Ten women (35.7%) lost fertility. Four women (20%) after fertility-sparing surgery recurred, two died of the disease (10%). Fertility was spared in 20 (71.4%) women and 10 of them became pregnant (50%). Eight women delivered ten babies (6 term and four preterm deliveries). There were two miscarriages in second trimester (in one woman) and one in first trimester. One woman underwent four unsuccessful cycles of IVF, one failed to become pregnant and one recurred too early. Two women underwent chemoradiotherapy for recurrence and lost chance for pregnancy.

Conclusions

Downstaging by NAC in IB1 and IB2 cervical cancer before fertility-sparing surgery is still an experimental procedure, but shows some promise. Long-term results in relation to oncological outcome for this concept are still needed.     

Simple extrafascial trachelectomy and pelvic bilateral lymphadenectomy in early stage cervical cancer

Objective

To determine the feasibility and safety of simple extra-fascial trachelectomy plus pelvic lymphadenectomy in young patients affected by early stage cervical cancer.

Methods

We have prospectively identified all patients with early-stage cervical cancer (stages IA2-IB1) referred to our department. Inclusion criteria were: age ≤ 38 years, strong desire to maintain fertility, FIGO stage ≤ IB1, tumor size < 2 cm, no LVSI, no evidence of nodal metastasis. Surgical technique included two steps: laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy and vaginal simple extrafascial trachelectomy. Patients were followed up for oncological and obstetrical outcomes.

Results

Fourteen patients were enrolled in the study. Median age was 32 years (range 28-37); histotype was squamous in 11/14 (79%) cases and adenocarcinoma in 3/14 cases (21%); FIGO stage was IA2 in 5/14 (36%) patients, IB1 in 9/14 (64%) patients; median tumor size was 17 mm (range 14-19); median operative time was 120 min (range 95-210). No severe intraoperative complications were recorded. Postoperative complications were observed in two patients. No recurrences were detected. One patient died for other disease. Eight patients became pregnant and 3 of them had a term delivery.

Conclusion

Low risk early-cervical cancer patients could be safely treated by simple extrafascial trachelectomy in order to maintain fertility. More studies are needed to better define the role of conservative and ultraconservative surgical approaches (i.e. conization) in this setting, either for fertility purposes or to minimize surgical complications.     

Preoperative imaging in patients undergoing trachelectomy for cervical cancer: Validation of a combined T2- and diffusion-weighted endovaginal MRI technique at 3.0 T

Aim

The aim of this study is to validate high-resolution endovaginal T2- and diffusion-weighted MRI measurements (tumour size, volume and length of uninvolved cervical canal) against histology in patients undergoing trachelectomy.

Patients/interventions

55 consecutive patients 25–44 years with cervical cancer being considered for trachelectomy were prospectively assessed with endovaginal T2-W and diffusion-weighted MRI. Two independent observers blinded to histology recorded maximum tumour dimension, volume and distance from the superior aspect of the tumour to the internal os. Following trachelectomy, pathologist-outlined tumour sections were photographed with a set scale and similar measurements were recorded.

Results

Fifteen of 45 patients subsequently treated with fertility-sparing surgery had residual tumour (median histological volume: 0.28 cm³, IQR = 0.14–1.06 cm³). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for detecting tumour: Observer1: 86.7%, 80.0%, 68.4%, and 92.3%, respectively; Observer2: 86.7%, 90.0%, 81.0%, and 93.1%, respectively. Size and volume correlated between observers (r = 0.96, 0.84, respectively, p < 0.0001). Size correlated between each observer and histology (observer 1 r = 0.91, p < 0.0001; observer 2 r = 0.93, p < 0.0001), volume did not (observer 1: r = 0.08, p = 0.6; observer 2: r = 0.21, p = 0.16); however, differences between observer measurements and histology were not significant (size p = 0.09, volume p = 0.15). Differences between MRI and histology estimates of endocervical canal length were not significant (p = 0.1 both observers).

Conclusion

In subcentimetre cervical cancers, endovaginal MRI correlates with pathology and is invaluable in assessing patients for fertility-sparing surgery.     

Pediatric radical abdominal trachelectomy for anaplastic embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the uterine cervix: an alternative to radical hysterectomy

Rhabdomyosarcoma arising in the female genital tract carries 5-year survival in excess of 80%, but lifelong infertility may be a consequence of local control strategies. We present the technique and outcome for a fertility-sparing, radical abdominal trachelectomy in a 12-year-old girl with anaplastic, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma involving the uterine cervix. The patient had presented to our center after the piecemeal resection of a uterine cervical mass; because of concern about microscopic residual disease, we classified her as group II-A according to the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study system. Staging studies excluded the presence of distant disease. The patient received 4 cycles of multiagent chemotherapy and then underwent radical abdominal trachelectomy, with removal of the uterine cervix, parametria, vaginal cuff, and regional lymph nodes. Microscopically, the specimen showed treatment effect and no residual tumor. Regional nodes were negative. Radical abdominal trachelectomy, which has not been previously reported for rhabdomyosarcoma, has appeared to secure local disease control in this case while preserving the patient's future fertility potential. In properly selected cases of rhabdomyosarcoma of the uterine cervix, where involvement of the uterus proper is not present, radical abdominal trachelectomy may be an attractive fertility-sparing alternative to radical hysterectomy.     

Ovarian recurrence after radical trachelectomy for adenocarcinoma of the cervix

Radical trachelectomy is an effective fertility-sparing treatment for women with early-stage cervical cancer. We describe the first reported ovarian recurrence after radical trachelectomy for stage IB1 adenocarcinoma cervical cancer.     

Laparoscopic Radical Trachelectomy: Technique,Feasibility, and Outcomes

Methods:We analyzed 4 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical trachelectomy for early-stage cervical cancer between December 2011 and May 2013.Results:Four patients were included in this study. Total laparoscopic radical trachelectomy was performed in all cases. The mean age was 26 years (range, 19–32 years), the mean body mass index was 21 (range, 18–23), and the mean length of hospital stay was 33 hours (range, 24–36 hours). The mean operative time was 225 minutes (range, 210–240 minutes), and no complications were reported. During the postoperative period, only 1 patient presented with left vulvar edema, which resolved spontaneously. The pelvic and parametrial lymph nodes, as well as the vaginal cuff and cervical resection margins, were negative for malignancy in all cases. On average, 18 pelvic lymph nodes (range, 15–20) were removed. The tumor stage was IB in all 4 patients, and the mean tumor size was 17 mm (range, 12–31 mm). No patient required conversion to laparotomy.Conclusion:We consider laparoscopic radical trachelectomy, performed by trained surgeons, a feasible and safe therapeutic option as a fertility-sparing surgical technique, with good perioperative outcomes for women with early-stage cervical cancer with a desire to preserve their fertility. Minimally invasive surgery provides the widely known benefits of this type of approach.     

根治性宫颈切除治疗早期宫颈癌临床价值的循证评价

 目的
系统评价根治性宫颈切除术治疗早期宫颈癌的安全性及保留生育功能的可行性。方法 我们系统检索PubMed、Embase
、Cochrane Library以及中文全文数据库,对2000年1月至2009年12月国内外公开发表的所有有关根治性宫颈切除
术治疗早期宫颈癌的文献进行回顾,对符合纳入标准的临床对照试验,采用Stata 9.2软件进行Meta分析,对无对
照的临床研究则采用描述性分析,主要评价指标为生存率。结果 共纳入4篇根治性宫颈切除术和根治性全子宫切除
术治疗早期宫颈癌生存率比较的临床对照试验和17篇无对照的临床研究,结果显示,根治性宫颈切除术和根治性全
子宫切除术治疗早期宫颈癌的生存率差异无统计学意义,根治性宫颈切除术术后总妊娠率为47%。结论 宫颈根治切
除术不会降低早期宫颈癌患者术后生存时间,不增加术后复发率,且能维持正常的妊娠及生育功能,提高患者生存
质量,因而是安全可行的,但需要更多高质量的临床随机对照试验进一步验证。