Prevention of vaginal recurrence of stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma with postoperative vaginal radiation

From 1975 to 1982 a prospective study was conducted at Roswell Park in 68 patients (group 1) for surgical stage I endometrial cancer, grade 1 or 2, and less than 50% myometrial invasion. These patients were treated by total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and postoperative vaginal radium. With median follow-up of 4.8 years, there has not been a single vaginal recurrence. This treatment plan was based on a prospective study at the same institute from 1958 to 1967, which compared patients with stage I endometrial cancer treated by hysterectomy alone, preoperative radium followed by hysterectomy, and hysterectomy followed by postoperative radium. In addition, 19 patients (group 2) were evaluated as to their initial treatment after their referral to Roswell Park with vaginal recurrence after surgical treatment for stage I endometrial cancer. None of these patients were treated initially with postoperative vaginal radium after hysterectomy. Based on the zero incidence of vaginal recurrence in 117 patients with FIGO stage I endometrial cancer, the estimated five-year survival rate of 97.2% for the group 1 patients, and the actuarial five-year survival of 95% in the 1958 to 1967 prospective study, it is concluded that primary surgery should be followed by postoperative vaginal radium (cesium) in those patients with stage I endometrial cancer, grade 1 or 2, with less than 50% myometrial invasion.     

Salvage of isolated vaginal recurrences in women with surgical stage I endometrial cancer: a multiinstitutional experience

The objective of this study was to evaluate the treatment outcomes and risk factors of women with surgical stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma who were initially treated with surgery alone and subsequently developed isolated vaginal recurrences. Patients with surgical stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma diagnosed from 1975 to 2002 were identified from tumor registry databases at seven institutions. All patients were treated with surgery alone including a total hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, pelvic (+/- para-aortic) lymph node dissection, and peritoneal cytology and did not receive postoperative radiation therapy. Vaginal recurrences were documented histologically. Metastatic disease in the chest and abdomen was excluded by radiologic studies. Overall survival was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Sixty-nine women with surgical stage I endometrial cancer with isolated vaginal recurrences were identified. Of the 69 patients, 10 (15%) were diagnosed with stage IA disease, 43 (62%) were diagnosed with stage IB disease, and 16 (23%) were diagnosed with stage IC disease. Patients diagnosed with grade 1 disease were 22 (32%), grade 2 disease were 26 (38%), and grade 3 disease were 21 (30%). Among women, 81% with isolated vaginal recurrences were salvaged with radiation therapy. The mean time to recurrence was 24 months, and the mean follow-up was 63 months. Among women, 18% died from subsequent recurrent disease. The 5-year overall survival was 75%. The majority of isolated vaginal recurrences in women with surgical stage I endometrial cancer can be successfully salvaged with radiation therapy, further questioning the role of adjuvant therapy for patients with uterine-confined endometrial cancer at the time of initial diagnosis.     

Postoperative radiotherapy in stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate postoperative whole pelvic radiation for high-risk patients with Stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma. METHODS: One hunderd and twenty-two patients with irregular premenopausal or postmenopausal haemorrhage were included into the study. Fractional curettage was performed in all cases. When the pathohistological report confirmed endometrial adenocarcinoma, abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. Low-risk patients include women with Stage IA tumours and Stage IB grade 1 or 2 histology. High-risk group include patients with Stage IB grade 3 tumours and Stage IC carcinomas. High-risk patients received whole pelvic radiotherapy between two and four weeks after surgery. RESULTS: Eighty-two patients (67.21%) were low-risk and forty patients (32.79%) were high-risk. In the low-risk group of patients, CA-125 was negative in ten cases and positive in 72 patients with a mean value of 30.12 +/- 12.42 U/ml serum. In the high-risk group of the patients, CA-125 was negative in two cases and positive in 38 patients with a mean value of 60, 48 +/- 20, 14 U/ml serum. Locoregional recurrences were diagnosed in four patients (4.87%) in the surgery group and in two patients (5.00%) assigned to radiotherapy. The incidence of distant metastases was 2.43% in the surgery group and 2.50% in the radiotherapy group. Overall survival at five years was 90.25% in the low-risk group and 87.50% in the high-risk group of patients. CONCLUSION: Five-year overall survival, locoregional and distant metastasis were similar in the low-risk and high-risk groups of patients. That emphasizes the value of whole pelvic radiation in patients with unfavourable prognostic factors in Stage I endometrial cancer.     

New treatment procedure for stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma

A series of 80 Stage I adenocarcinomas of the endometrium is described. Treatment is based on a more frequent use of surgery and there is greater individualization of the treatment procedure, which combines vaginal or uterovaginal Curie therapy and surgery. Overall 5 year survival rates are 82%, compared with 91.5% for patients having been treated with Curie therapy plus surgery. The patient's age and the size of the uterus were found to be significant from the prognostic standpoint. However, other factors, such as histological type and grade, penetration into the myometrium, and lymph node involvement did not seem especially important. Treatment described here appears to give better results than that used previously; survival rates are higher and complications of treatment are negligible.     

Accuracy of intraoperative frozen-section diagnosis in stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma

The purpose of our study was to determine if frozen-section diagnosis accurately identified patients suffering from endometrial adenocarcinoma FIGO stage I for surgical staging consisting of total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, peritoneal cytology, and complete bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy in moderately differentiated tumors with myometrial invasion. In all poorly differentiated tumors, and in all tumors with deep myometrial invasion (more than 50%) surgical staging included additional para-aortic lymphadenectomy. We performed a retrospective study including 70 patients. Frozen-section diagnosis of myometrial invasion and tumor grade was compared with permanent-section diagnosis. The accuracy rates were determined, and compared with accuracy rates of frozen-section diagnosis in the literature, and a total accuracy rate for 624 patients suffering from stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma was evaluated. In our patient collective, the overall accuracy rate of frozen-section diagnosis for myometrial invasion and tumor grade was 80 and 84%, respectively. In the five comparable studies, the mean accuracy rate for myometrial invasion and tumor grade was 89 and 84%, respectively. In combination with the five comparable studies our recent study produced an accuracy rate of frozen-section diagnosis for myometrial invasion and tumor grade of 88 and 84% in 624 patients, respectively. Despite an accuracy level of frozen-section diagnosis for myometrial invasion of 80 and 84% for tumor grade in our patient collective, all patients who required surgical staging were accurately identified.     

Prognostic significance of squamous differentiation in stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma

The prognostic implication of benign and malignant squamous differentiation was examined in 267 consecutive patients with stage I endometrial carcinoma. Patients with adenosquamous carcinoma had a significantly poorer ten-year survival rate (54.7%) than patients with adenocarcinoma (70.5%) or adenoacanthoma (87.4%). This was related to a tendency for adenosquamous carcinoma to be associated with poorly differentiated glandular elements and to deeply invade the myometrium. The mean depth of myometrial penetration was 57% for adenosquamous carcinoma compared with 24% for adenocarcinoma and 19% for adenoacanthoma. To examine the prognostic significance of malignant squamous differentiation independently of the grade of the associated glandular component, the subgroup of patients with well-differentiated adenocarcinoma was compared. Patients with well-differentiated adenosquamous carcinoma persisted in having a worse prognosis (58.3% ten-year survival rate), compared with adenocarcinoma (84.3% ten-year survival rate), which was explained by the propensity of adenosquamous carcinoma to deeply invade the myometrium.     

Pelvic radiation in stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma with high-risk attributes

From 1977 to 1987, 45 patients with FIGO stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma with high-risk attributes and disease confined to the pelvis were prospectively treated with postoperative pelvic radiation. By study design, all patients underwent staging laparotomy with pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy. All patients had either grade 1 or 2 adenocarcinoma and greater than 50% myometrial invasion or grade 3 adenocarcinoma with less than or greater than 50% myometrial invasion. The estimated 5-year survival for all 45 patients was 77% and the 5-year disease-free interval was 82%. Regional control was achieved in 89% of all patients, with 4% recurring at distant sites. When patients were stratified according to surgical-pathologic findings, 33 patients with disease confined to the uterus or uterus and pelvic nodes (surgical stage I) had estimated 5-year survival and disease-free interval of 88%. Of these 33 patients, 10 with grade 1 or 2 adenocarcinoma and deep myometrial invasion had 5-year disease-free intervals of 100%, while 23 patients with grade 3 adenocarcinoma with less than or greater than 50% myometrial invasion had disease-free intervals of 79 and 91%, respectively. From these results, it was concluded that patients with high-risk attributes demonstrated to have disease confined to the uterus or uterus and pelvic nodes can achieve excellent survival following surgical staging and postoperative pelvic radiation.     

Intraoperative evaluation of depth of myometrial invasion in stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma

In patients with stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma, the incidence of pelvic and para-aortic lymph node metastasis is related to the grade of the tumor and the depth of myometrial invasion. Although the grade of the tumor may be predicted preoperatively by endometrial sampling, the depth of myometrial invasion cannot be determined until after the uterus has been removed. Although complications have been attributed to lymph node sampling, failure to perform the procedure in patients at risk for nodal metastasis may result in underdiagnosis of extrauterine disease, leading to inadequate therapy. Gross visual examination of the cut surface of the tumor at the time of hysterectomy accurately determined the depth of myometrial invasion in 135 of 148 prospectively studied patients (91%) (P less than .001). The sensitivity of the test was 0.71, the specificity was 0.96, and the positive predictive value was 0.80. Intraoperative assessment of the depth of myometrial invasion is a simple, inexpensive, and useful technique for selecting those patients with stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma who might benefit from selective para-aortic lymphadenectomy.     

Laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy versus abdominal hysterectomy in stage I endometrial cancer

Abstract. Fram KM. Laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy versus abdominal hysterectomy in stage I endometrial cancer.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare laparoscopic treatment for stage I endometrial cancer with the traditional transabdominal approach. From July 1996 to July 1998, 61 patients with clinical stage I endometrial cancer were treated at the Gynaecology Oncology Unit at the Royal North Shore of Sydney, Australia. Twenty-nine patients were treated with laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) and bilateral salpingo-oophrectomy (BSO) ± laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy (LPLA), while 32 patients were treated with the traditional laparotomy and underwent total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) and BSO ± pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLA). The main outcomes studied were operative time, blood loss, blood transfusion, intraoperative complications, postoperative complications, duration of hospital stay, and number of lymph nodes obtained. In conclusion, laparoscopic treatment of endometrial cancer is safe in the hands of experienced operators with minimal intraoperative and postoperative complications. This procedure is associated with significantly less blood loss and shorter hospitalization; however, it is associated with significantly longer operating time. Proper selection of patients for the laparoscopic procedure is the vital step in achieving the major goals of this approach.     

Significance of lower uterine segment involvement in women with stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether lower uterine segment involvement (LUSI) correlates with recurrence and survival in women with stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma who do not receive postoperative radiotherapy on the basis of this histologic criterion. STUDY DESIGN: Eighty patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma stage I who underwent surgery between 1989 and 2002 were divided into 2 groups according to the presence of LUSI. Group 1 consisted of 25 patients with LUSI; group 2 consisted of 55 patients without LUSI. The 2 groups were compared with regard to prognostic factors and outcome measures. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups with regard to the following parameters: age and proportion of patients who underwent complete surgical staging and postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy. Pathologic parameters of the 2 groups, such as histologic type, grade and deep myometrial invasion, were comparable. A greater proportion of patients with LUSI had capillary space-like involvement. The patients were followed for a median of 48 months (range, 11-168) from the date of surgery. The overall 5-year recurrence-free survival, disease-specific survival and overall survival rates were 91% (SE .04), 94% (SE .03) and 77% (SE .06), respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups with regards to these measures (P < .05). CONCLUSION: In patients with state I endometrial cancer, the presence of lower uterine segment involvement does not correlate with their outcome.     

Port site recurrences following laparoscopically managed early stage endometrial cancer

Faught W, Fung Kee Fung M. Port site recurrences following laparoscopically managed early stage endometrial cancer. Int J Gynecol Cancer 1999; 9: 256–258.
Laparoscopic management of endometrial cancer, although gaining in acceptance, has been associated with recurrent disease at trocar insertion sites in advanced disease. We report on a patient with a port site recurrence in early stage endometrial cancer.
An 84-year-old patient with cancer of the endometrium underwent a laparoscopic surgical staging, vaginal hysterectomy, and adjunct radiation treatment. The final surgical pathology was grade 3, stage IC endometrioid adenocarcinoma. Seven months post-treatment, she presented with bilateral port site recurrences in the lower abdominal wall.
Trocar port site recurrence in gynecologic cancer patients may be enhanced by laparoscopic management and are not limited only to patients with advanced disease.     

Reliability of frozen section examination in identifying poor prognostic indicators in stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma

Management of Stage I adenocarcinoma of the uterus includes hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and selective paraaortic and pelvic lymphadenectomy. Postoperative radiation therapy (RT) is selectively employed in patients with histologically defined poor prognostic indicators. We attempted to identify these poor prognostic indicators by frozen section (FS) at primary surgery in 55 patients with Stage I endometrial adenocarcinoma; we found an excellent correlation between the results obtained on gross examination of the uterus with selected FS and the results after extensive sampling and microscopic examination of permanent section (PS). The depth of myometrial invasion was accurately predicted in 96.5%, and histologic grade in 94.5% of these patients. Sixty-six percent of patients with occult invasion of the cervix on PS were identified on FS. Using the above criteria, we identified by FS all patients (15/55) who required adjuvant RT obviating the need for pelvic lymph node dissection. On the basis of our preliminary data, we recommend the use of careful gross examination and selective FS to identify patients requiring selective pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy and adjuvant therapy, thereby eliminating the need for staging lymph node dissection with its associated morbidity and complications.     

Laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy versus abdominal hysterectomy in patients with stage I and II endometrial cancer

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the outcomes of laparoscopic surgery with those of conventional abdominal surgery in patients with early endometrial cancer. From 1997 to 2003, 79 patients underwent laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy with or without lymphadenectomy. Laparoscopy was performed on patients deemed clinical stage I in preoperative studies. Of the 79 patients, 74 found to be surgical stage I or II were enrolled in the comparative study. As a control group, we selected 168 laparotomy cases at the same disease stage as the laparoscopy group. Operation time, amount of blood transfusion, and hemoglobin changes were similar for both groups. In the laparoscopy group, the number of lymph nodes obtained was significantly higher, and the number of postoperative complications was lower compared to the laparotomy group. The hospital stay was significantly shorter for laparoscopy group. Three-year recurrence-free survival rates were similar, being 97.5% for the laparoscopy group and 98.6% for the laparotomy group. We conclude that laparoscopic surgery for treatment of early endometrial cancer is a safe and effective alternative to laparotomy in terms of perioperative complications. Three-year recurrence-free survival did not differ significantly between the groups. However, long-term survival and risk of recurrence have yet to be determined.