Uterine sarcoma: an analysis of 74 cases

In order to determine whether recent methods of diagnosis and treatment have resulted in an improved survival for patients with uterine sarcoma, we reviewed 99 cases treated in our center from 1970-1985. Morphologic characteristics of 74 tumors were specifically reassessed for this study. All tumors were graded. Of 42 Stage I cases that were morphologically assessed, tumor-positive pelvic lymph nodes were found in two of the 15 patients in whom sampling was done. No cases of tumor-positive para-aortic nodes were found in 14 patients with Stage I disease. In Stage I and Stage II, no cases of positive para-aortic nodes were found in association with negative pelvic nodes. The 2- and 5-year survival rates in Stage I were 47.4% and 29.4%, respectively. Local recurrence decreased (p less than 0.01) in Stage I from nine of 22 cases in which operation alone was performed to none of 15 cases in which pelvic radiotherapy was added, but no improvement in the 5-year survival rate was observed. As with lymphadenectomy and radiotherapy, the recent use of chemotherapy for uterine sarcoma had no impact on survival.     

Retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis in patients with ovarian cancer

From 1979 to 1987 retroperitoneal lymph node dissection was performed at the Tokyo University Hospital in 41 cases (pelvic lymph node biopsy was done in 4 cases, pelvic lymphadenectomy in 23 cases, pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy up to the renal vessels in 14 cases) of Stage Ia to IV ovarian cancer following cytoreductive surgery. The incidence of retroperitoneal positive nodes was 11.1% (2/18) in Stage I, 50.0% (5/10) in Stage II, 50.0% (5/10) in Stage III and 0% (0/3) in Stage IV (FIGO criteria without considering the pathologic findings of retroperitoneal lymph nodes). The positive rate of lymph node involvement in Stage II and Stage III was significantly higher than that in Stage I. The tumors involving both ovaries were more likely to metastasize to retroperitoneal lymph nodes. Enlargement of tumors and increased ascites were not the risk factors of retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis. These data suggest that the occurrence of retroperitoneal lymphatic spread in ovarian cancer is comparable to that in uterine cancer and increased by involvement of both ovaries and extension to other pelvic tissues.     

Patterns of pelvic and paraaortic lymph node involvement in ovarian cancer

One hundred eighty patients with ovarian cancer underwent complete pelvic lymphadenectomy (n = 75) or pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy (n = 105). Twenty-one patients underwent a preoperative biopsy of the scalene lymph nodes. The incidence of positive lymph nodes was 24% in stage I (n = 37), 50% in stage II (n = 14), 74% in stage III (n = 114), and 73% in stage IV (n = 15). Of the 105 patients who underwent pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy, 13 (12%) had positive pelvic and negative paraaortic nodes and 10 (9%) had positive paraaortic and negative pelvic nodes. Positive scalene nodes were found in four patients (19%) later shown to have stage IV disease. One hundred forty patients were studied for number of involved nodes and node groups, size of nodal metastases, residual tumor, and survival. Of the 81 patients with positive nodes, most had only one or two positive node groups or one to three positive individual nodes. A few patients had seven to eight involved node groups with up to 44 positive nodes. Greater numbers of positive nodes were found in stage III than stage IV. The size of the largest nodal metastasis was not related to the clinical stage or survival, but did correlate with the number of positive nodes. Stage III patients with no residual tumor had a significantly lower rate of lymph node involvement than those with tumor residual (P less than 0.01). Actuarial 5-year survival rates of patients with stage III disease and no, one, or more than one positive nodes were 69, 58, and 28%, respectively.     

Survival of ovarian carcinoma with or without lymph node metastasis

Because of the limited number of reports concerning the influence of retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis upon survival in patients with ovarian carcinoma, a prospective study was conducted between December 1975 and December 1982 to provide such information. This series consisted of 75 unselected patients with epithelial carcinoma of the ovary in all stages. Thirty-three patients had tumor-positive nodes and 42 had negative nodes. The two groups were compared with regard to stage of disease, grade of tumor, histology of tumor, residual disease after initial operation, finding at second-look laparotomy, and survival. All had initial maximal surgery and biopsy of para-aortic and pelvic nodes: most received postoperative chemotherapy. Follow-up was from 36 months to 10 years. Patients with positive nodes preferentially had more advanced disease (Stage III and IV). Grade 3 tumor, papillary serous cystadenocarcinoma, residual disease greater than 2%, low rate of second-look laparotomy, and death. Patients with negative nodes were connected with earlier disease (Stage I and II), nonserous tumor, minimal residual disease, high rate of second-look laparotomy, and survival. No patient with isolated nodal metastasis to pelvic or para-aortic survived. Only 18.2% with concomitant para-aortic and pelvic node involvements are currently alive, opposed to 64.3% with negative node. The results indicate that tumor-positive nodes in ovarian carcinoma are a poor prognostic factor and current combination chemotherapy is not effective. Alternative treatment for these patients should be considered.     

Role of pelvic lymphadenectomy in the management of stage I endometrial cancer: our experience

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prognostic value of pelvic-node removal on survival of patients affected by endometrial carcinoma at presurgical FIGO Stage I. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on a total of 111 patients recruited from 1990 to 1996 at the S. Carlo di Nancy Hospital. Thirty-nine (35%) of them underwent a total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with removal of the vaginal cuff (group 1), while 72 (65%) underwent a total hysterectomy combined with pelvic lymphadenectomy (group 2). Prognostic features including tumor grade, depth of myometrial invasion and histologic subtype. Survival rates were calculated with Cox and Kaplan analyses. RESULTS: Overall survival rate at five years was 91.2%. The survival rate of group 1 and group 2 was 89% and 92.8%, respectively which is not statistically significant. Stage, grade, histotype, age at diagnosis, and presence of positive lymph nodes did not show any significant prognostic value on survival probability. CONCLUSIONS: The survival rate for patients submitted to lymphadenectomy (group 2) was the same of patients who did not undergo this treatment (group 1). Nevertheless, pelvic lymphadenectomy in endometrial carcinoma at presurgical FIGO stage I was worthwhile as it allowed correct staging to be performed. The prediction of nodal disease based only on preoperative investigations (such as TC, NMR) is often inaccurate.     

Surgical treatment of vulvar cancer.

59 (80%) of 74 patients with vulvar cancer treated at the University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Ljubljana in the period 1973-85 underwent radical vulvectomy with bilateral inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy, and 15 (20%) patients single vulvectomy because of advanced age and poor general condition. Histologically there were 69 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, 1 adenocarcinoma, 3 malignant melanoma and 1 rhabdomyosarcoma. 52% of the patients were classified as Stage I, 41% Stage II and 7% Stage III. Positive inguinofemoral nodes were observed in 24% (6.5% in Stage I, 35% in Stage II and 80% in Stage III). The total 5 year survival rate was 70% (83% in Stage I, 61% in Stage II and 20% in Stage III). The 5 year survival rate in the patients with negative nodes was 80%, and in cases with positive nodes only 50% in spite of postoperative irradiation. None of the 3 patients with melanoma survived 2 years nor did the patient with rhabdomyosarcoma. There was no case of primary mortality. Nowadays the cure rate for vulvar cancer is higher especially owing to the improvement of operability. The problem of lymphatic and distant metastases still remains unresolved.     

Residual pelvic lymph node involvement after concomitant chemoradiation for locally advanced cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE: Concomitant chemoradiation (and brachytherapy) has become the standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancers (FIGO stage IB2 to IVA). Adjuvant surgery is optional. The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of residual positive pelvic lymph nodes after chemoradiation. METHODS: From February 1988 to August 2004, 113 patients with locally advanced cervical cancer have been treated by chemoradiation followed by an adjuvant surgery with a pelvic lymphadenectomy performed (study group). A para-aortic lymphadenectomy had also been performed in 85 of them. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 48.4 years (27-74). FIGO stage was: IB2 in 17.7% (20/113), II in 44.2% (50/113), III in 21.2% (24/113) and IVA in 16.8% of the patients (19/113). The mean number of removed nodes was 11.5 (median 11) in pelvic, and 7.5 (median 7) in para-aortic basins. A pelvic lymph node involvement was present in 15.9% (18/113) of the patients after chemoradiation. In 11 patients, only one node was positive. 11.7% (10/85) of the patients had a para-aortic lymph node involvement. A residual pelvic lymph node disease has been observed in 6.3% (4/63) of the cases with no residual cervical disease (or microscopic) versus 26.5% (13/49) of the cases with macroscopic residual cervical tumor (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Our experience shows that a pelvic lymph node involvement persists in about 16% of the patients after chemoradiation. We can make the assumption that performing a pelvic lymphadenectomy along with the removal of the primary tumor after chemoradiation could reduce the rate of latero-pelvic recurrences, whatever the para-aortic lymph node status.     

Squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva: prognostic factors influencing survival.

One hundred seventy-two cases of patients with squamous cell cancer of the vulva treated at the University of Michigan Medical Center from 1975 to 1988 are reported. The mean age was 66 years with a range of 21 to 101 years. The distribution by stage included Stage I, 65; Stage II, 44; Stage III, 50; and Stage IV, 13 patients. Groin node dissections performed on 145 patients showed negative nodes, 58%; unilateral positive nodes, 28%; and bilateral positive nodes, 14%. The distribution of patients with positive nodes was influenced by stage: Stage I, 14%; Stage II, 23%; Stage III, 72%; Stage IV, 92%. The overall cumulative 5-year survival was 71% and this was significantly influenced by stage of disease: Stage I, 94%; Stage II, 91%; Stage III, 36%; Stage IV, 26%. Stages I/II and III/IV were combined for analysis. In Stages I/II, survival was significantly influenced by tumor grade while size, patient age, and lymph node status did not influence survival. In Stage III/IV, survival was significantly influenced by tumor size, node status, and number of positive nodes while grade, patient age, and tumor location did not influence survival. Squamous cell cancer of the vulva is effectively treated with radical surgery but advanced-stage disease with regional metastases significantly alters survival.     

Operative Therapie des fortgeschrittenen Ovarialkarzinoms

Patients with advanced ovarian cancer should undergo extensive tumor-debulking surgery to remove all visible tumor. Debulking surgery should be performed in cancer centers in cooperation with gynecologic oncologists, abdominal surgeons, and anesthesiologists. In addition to pelvic surgery, intestinal resections have to be performed frequently; bladder or partial ureter resections are rare. The role of retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy is not yet clear. In cases of complete intra-abdominal tumor resection and/or palpable retroperitoneal lymph nodes, complete lymphadenectomy is recommended. Secondary debulking after induction chemotherapy can improve prognosis in cases of remission under chemotherapy. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy possibly has a positive impact on the tumor resection rate and median survival time. The role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy has to be verified; therefore, patients should be enrolled in ongoing clinical trials.     

Lymph node sampling is of prognostic value in early stage epithelial ovarian carcinoma

PURPOSE: The importance of lymph node involvement as a prognostic factor is still under debate. In the present study, the impact of surgical staging for prognosis in early stages of epithelial ovarian cancer was evaluated in a series of 113 patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out at the Department of Gynecological Oncology, Orebro University Hospital, during the period 1994-1998. In a subgroup of 20 out of 113 patients, pelvic lymph node sampling or pelvic lymphadenectomy was included in the standard surgical procedure. In cases of positive lymph nodes, the tumors were upstaged to FIGO Stage III. Pearson's chi-square, the t-test, the log-rank test and Cox multivariate analysis were used in the statistical analyses. RESULTS: The 20 patients with lymph node sampling or lymphadenectomy were compared with the remaining 93 patients without a comprehensive surgical staging procedure. A survival analysis demonstrated a significant (p = 0.005) difference in disease-free survival rates between the two subgroups, where there was a survival benefit in the subgroup of patients who had undergone comprehensive surgical staging. In a Cox proportional hazard regression analysis with disease-free survival as the endpoint, high tumor grade (HR = 3.14) and comprehensive surgical staging with at least a node sampling (HR = 0.09) were significant and independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: The benefit in survival after the procedure of lymph node sampling in early stages of epithelial ovarian carcinoma could probably be explained by the fact that the surgical procedure detects otherwise unrecognized Stage III disease.     

Analysis of outcome of Stage I-III endometrial cancer treated with systematic operation omitting paraaortic lymphadenectomy

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of endometrial cancer patients treated with systematic surgery omitting paraarotic lymphadenectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed a consecutive series of 84 endometrioid-type endometrial cancer patients at FIGO Stage I, II or III without grossly metastatic paraaortic lymphadenodes, who underwent surgery at our institute. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients (77%) underwent primary surgery with pelvic lymphadenectomy while the remaining 19 patients underwent surgery without lymphadenectomy due to severe medical complications or age greater than 70 years. The patients with high risk for recurrence were treated mainly by adjuvant irradiation therapy of the whole pelvis. The median follow-up period was 44 months. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 92%, 92% and 65% for FIGO Stage I, II and III, respectively. Recurrence was detected in eight of the 82 optimally operated patients (9.8%). Out of the eight recurrent patients, five patients had a recurrent tumor at extra-pelvic sites (chest or abdomen), two patients had a recurrent tumor only in a paraaortic lymph node, and one patient had a recurrent tumor only in the vagina. Thus, the recurrence rate was relatively low, with 2.4% relapse at the paraarotic lymph nodes, and 5-year OS rate appeared to be favorable. However, all the six recurrent patients who underwent adjuvant radiation therapy had distant recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that omission of paraarotic lymphadenectomy may be acceptable for endometrial cancer patients without gross metastasis at this site. However, the high rate of distant recurrence after whole pelvic irradiation strongly indicates an urgent need to develop potent systemic adjuvant therapy, potentially by chemotherapy or chemoradiation therapy.     

Interstitial thermoradiotherapy in recurrent gynecologic malignancies

In patients with ovarian carcinoma, the presence of metastatic disease in a retroperitoneal lymph node is indicative of a poor prognosis. Although a “staging laparotomy” is required for proper treatment, definitive information concerning para-aortic and pelvic lymph node metastasis often is not available. To determine the incidence of retroperitoneal lymph node metastases in untreated cases of ovarian carcinoma, a prospective study by selective nodal biopsy was undertaken in 61 unselected patients with the following distribution: Stage I, 11; Stage II, 10; Stage III, 31; and Stage IV, 9. The incidence of para-aortic node metastasis overall was 37.7% and of pelvic node metastasis, 14.8%. Of 23 patients with positive para-aortic nodes, 30.4% had no concomitant pelvic node involvement. Direct relationships between nodal metastasis and clinical stage, tumor grade, and histologic type of tumor were demonstrated. The incidence of positive para-aortic nodes in Stage I disease was 18.2%; in Stage II, 20.0%; in Stage III, 41.9%; and in Stage IV, 66.7%. The corresponding incidence of pelvic node metastasis was 9.1% in Stage I, 10.0% in Stage II, 12.9% in Stage III, and 33.3% in Stage IV. Grade 3 tumors were associated most frequently with nodal involvement, with an incidence of positive para-aortic nodes of 52.5% and of positive pelvic nodes of 15.5%. In patients with a serous type of malignancy, the frequencies of positive para-aortic/pelvic nodes were 44.4%/16.7%, respectively; in the undifferentiated type, 50.0%/10.0%; in the clear cell type, 25.0%/25.0%; and in the mucinous type, 14.3%/ 14.3%. In this small series, 32 patients (52.5%) had positive retroperitoneal nodal involvement. It is concluded that selective biopsies of the para-aortic and pelvic lymph nodes should be part of any “staging laparotomy” for ovarian carcinoma, and that the true incidence of nodal involvement in these patients awaits further investigation.     

Role of lymphadenectomy in endometrioid endometrial cancer

OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk factors associated with node involvement. Study design: In the period 1990-2008 a total of 265 endometrial cancers were treated in the Institut Universitari Dexeus. We analysed the rate of myometrial invasion, tumour grade, histological type and node involvement. RESULTS: Overall, 86% of tumours were endometrioid, 5.3% papillary serous, 4.9% mixed and 2.6% endometrial stroma sarcoma. Among those with endometrioid histology, lymphadenectomy was not performed (NL) in 85 cases (37.2%), whereas pelvic lymphadenectomy (PL) or pelvic and aortic lymphadenectomy (PAL) was carried out in 84 (36.84%) and 59 patients (25.87%), respectively. In NL patients the overall disease-free survival (DFS) rate at five years was 92.8%. In the PL group, node involvement was observed in 2.4% of cases and the five-year DFS rate was 92.3%. Among PAL patients, 18.6% showed node involvement (72.7% positive pelvic nodes and 63.6% aortic). Aortic involvement was present in 5.9% of cases when there was no pelvic disease, whereas in the presence of positive pelvic nodes the rate of aortic involvement was 50%. The DFS rate at five years was 93.6%. Referring to the risk factors, when infiltration was > 50% of the myometrium, lymph node involvement occurred in 37% of cases and G3 tumors in 45.5%. Conclusions: Node involvement is more commonly observed in cases with > 50% myometrial invasion and G3, accounting for 25% of cases that can be considered as at-risk patients. When node involvement is present it is equally distributed between the pelvic and aortic levels. As node involvement is a predictive factor for distant metastasis, the 25% of patients considered to be at risk should undergo pelvic and aortic lymphadenectomy     

Bulky lymph node resection in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer: impact of surgery

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of systematic lymphadenectomy, feasibility, complications rate, and outcome in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients with recurrent bulky lymph node disease. A prospective observational study of EOC patients with pelvic/aortic lymph node relapse was conducted between January 1995 and June 2005. After a clinical and laparoscopic staging, secondary cytoreduction, including systematic lymphadenectomy, were performed. The eligibility criteria were as follows: disease-free interval > or =6 months, radiographic finding suggestive of bulky lymph node recurrence, and patients' consent to be treated with chemotherapy. Forty-eight EOC patients with lymph node relapse were recruited. Twenty-nine patients were amenable to cytoreductive surgery. Postoperatively, all patients received adjuvant treatment. The median numbers of resected aortic and pelvic nodes were 15 (2-32) and 17 (8-47), respectively. The median numbers of resected aortic and pelvic positive lymph nodes were 4 (1-18) and 3 (1-17), respectively. The mean size of bulky nodes was 3.3 cm. Four patients (14%) experienced one severe complication. No treatment-related deaths were observed. After a median follow-up of 26 months, among cytoreduced patients, 18 women were alive with no evidence of disease, nine were alive with disease. Among the 11 patients not amenable to surgery, five women were alive with persistent disease, six patients died of disease, at a median follow-up of 18 months. Estimated 5-year overall survival and disease-free interval for operated women were 87% and 31%, respectively. In conclusion, patients with bulky lymph node relapse can benefit from systematic lymphadenectomy in terms of survival. The procedure is feasible with an acceptable morbidity rate.     

Extended surgical staging for uterine papillary serous carcinoma: survival outcome of locoregional (Stage I-III) disease

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate survival outcome in patients with locoregional uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC) after extended surgical staging (ESS). METHODS: All patients diagnosed with FIGO Stage I-III UPSC undergoing ESS (vertical incision, peritoneal cytology, TAH/BSO, omental biopsy, lymph node sampling, peritoneal biopsy) between 1/1/89 and 12/31/98 were identified retrospectively from the tumor registry database. Pathologic features predictive of regional extrauterine spread were evaluated using the log-rank test. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to generate survival curves, and median survival determinations were compared using the log-rank test or the proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients with locoregional UPSC were identified: FIGO Stage I (n = 11), Stage II (n = 7), and Stage III (n = 8). The median age at diagnosis was 66 years. Preoperative endometrial pathology correctly identified the presence of UPSC in 76.9% of cases. The only pathologic feature found to be predictive of regional extrauterine spread (Stage III) was myometrial invasion > or =50% (P = 0.028). Adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) was administered to 6/18 patients with Stage I/II disease and 5/8 patients with Stage III disease. Platinum-based chemotherapy was administered to 5 patients with Stage III disease. All recurrences of Stage I/II disease were located within the pelvis (16.7%). For Stage III disease, all recurrences occurred at distant sites (42.9%). The median follow-up time for surviving patients was 39.0 months (mean = 45.0 months). For all patients, the overall 5-year survival rate was 61.2%. According to FIGO stage, the overall 5-year survival rates were Stage I, 81.8%; Stage II, 64.3%; and Stage III, 31.3%. No significant differences were detected in the risk of death by stage, although there was a trend toward worse survival with Stage III disease: Stage I hazard ratio [HR] = 1.00, Stage II HR = 1.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.23-12.03, Stage III HR = 3.63, 95% CI = 0.65-20.12. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with locoregional UPSC following ESS have a more favorable prognosis than previously thought. The additional information provided by ESS facilitates the selection of adjuvant therapy. Whole pelvic RT is recommended for patients with Stage I/II disease. Pathologic Stage III disease portends a significant risk of distant recurrence. For these patients, administration of adjuvant chemotherapy should be considered in addition to directed RT.     

Laparoscopic surgery in treatment of stage IIb cervical cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. A case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: A detailed operative procedure of laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (type III) with pelvic and aortic lymphadenectomy after neoadjuvant chemoterapy in treatment of Stage IIb cervical cancer is described. CASE REPORT: A 50-year-old patient with Stage IIb squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix, who initially was not surgically resectable, received three courses of neoadjuvant chemotherapy that included ifosfamide 5 g/m2, cisplatin 50 mg/m2 and paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 (TIP). Following a partial clinical response to chemotherapy, the patient underwent laparoscopic type III radical hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy. The surgical procedure lasted 250 minutes. Blood loss was 310 ml. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 4. The mean length of the resected parametria and paracolpia was 4.1 cm and 2.0 cm, respectively. The number of dissected lymph nodes was 48:29 pelvic and 19 paraaortic nodes. No major intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred. The patient also underwent adjuvant radiation therapy. Follow-up was performed at six months so far. CONCLUSIONS: This experience suggests that such a surgical procedure is safe. Laparoscopic radical hysterectomy potentially allows for decreased perioperative morbidity and blood loss, faster recovery and better cosmetic results. Large studies with long term follow-up are needed to confirm that this approach may be proposed as an alternative to conventional surgery.     

Outcomes of abandoned radical hysterectomy in patients with stages IB–IIA cervical cancer found to have positive nodes during the operation

The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of stages IB-IIA cervical cancer patients whose radical hysterectomy (RH) was abandoned for positive pelvic nodes detected during the operation compared with those found to have positive nodes after the operation. Among 242 patients with planned RH and pelvic lymphadenectomy (RHPL) for stages IB-IIA cervical cancer, 23 (9.5%) had grossly positive nodes. RH was abandoned, and complete pelvic lymphadenectomy was performed. Of these 23 patients, 22 received adjuvant chemoradiation, and the remaining 1 received adjuvant radiation. Four patients with positive para-aortic nodes were additionally treated with extended-field irradiation. When compared with 35 patients whose positive nodes were detected after the operation, there were significant differences regarding number of positive nodes and number of patients receiving extended-field irradiation. Complications in both groups were not significantly different, but the 2-year disease-free survival was significantly lower in the abandoned RH group compared with that of the RHPL group (58.5% versus 93.5%, P= 0.01). In conclusion, the survival of stages IB-IIA cervical cancer patients whose RH was abandoned for grossly positive pelvic nodes was significantly worse than that of patients whose node metastasis was identified after the operation. This is because the abandoned RH group had worse prognostic factors.     

Interest of pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy in patients with stage IB and II cervical carcinoma

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the interest and the potential therapeutic value of systematic pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy in patients with stage Ib and II cervical carcinoma. METHODS: This was a prospective study including 421 patients with cervical cancer treated, from 1985 to 1994, by combined radiation therapy and surgery with systematic pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy. RESULTS: The overall rate of pelvic lymph-node involvement was 26% (106 patients), and the rate of paraaortic metastases was 8% (32 patients). Pelvic nodal involvement was unilateral in 14% (59 patients) and bilateral in 11% (47 patients). Macroscopic positive nodes were found in 12% (52 patients). In a univariate analysis, a young age (<30 years), a tumor size >/=4 cm, stage II disease, and nodal involvement were associated with significantly decreased survival. The nodal status and the characteristics of positive nodes (number and location) were the most significant prognostic factors. In the multivariate analysis, age, the tumor size, and the site of nodal involvement (pelvic or paraaortic) were prognostic factors. Three-year survival was 94% for patients with negative nodes compared to 64% for patients with positive pelvic nodes and 35% for patients with positive paraaortic nodes (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: These results confirm the diagnostic and prognostic value of systematic complete lymphadenectomy when planning adjuvant treatment and the therapeutic value of complete removal of bulky positive nodes.     

Prognostic factors in malignant epithelial ovarian tumors

In a study of 494 patients with ovarian carcinoma all known factors that eventually influence prognosis were tested both separately and comparatively in a multivariate statistical analysis, using survival as the dependent variable. It was found that the histologic grade and the size of the residual tumor after surgery are the most important factors influencing survival. The histologic type affected prognosis only in Stage III patients with large residual tumors. The stage of tumor progression had prognostic value, although Stage IIa was found to have the same survival rate as Stage I of this disease. The state of the tumor capsules in Stage I had no prognostic effect. Ascites only affected survival in Stage III patients who had small or no residual tumor after surgery. Age was found to influence survival only in Stage III patients with small residual tumors, or no residual tumor, and in advanced Stage II cases. Continued chemotherapy seems to be of benefit in Stage III patients with small or no residual tumors following surgery.     

Lymph node spread in stage III or IV primary peritoneal serous papillary carcinoma

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the rates and topography of pelvic and para-aortic nodal involvement in patients with stage III or IV primary peritoneal serous papillary carcinoma (PSPC). METHODS: Retrospective review of 19 women who underwent a systematic bilateral pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy. RESULTS: The overall frequency of lymph node involvement was 63% (12/19). Eighteen patients underwent complete resection of peritoneal disease. Only 4 patients underwent this procedure as part of their initial surgery (before chemotherapy). The frequency of pelvic and para-aortic metastases was 58% (11/19) and 58% (11/19), respectively. When para-aortic nodes were involved, the left para-aortic chain above the level of the inferior mesenteric artery was the site most frequently involved (72%). The event-free survival of the 18 patients without macroscopic disease at the end of debulking surgery was significantly correlated with the nodal status. None of the patients with positive nodes developed recurrent disease in abdominal nodes. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of nodal involvement in patients with PSPC is high. The topography of nodal spread is similar to that of ovarian cancer. Lymphadenectomy has a prognostic value.