Laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy with laparoscopic pelvic and paraaortic staging for early endometrial cancer

While abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy is still considered the gold standard for the surgical treatment of endometrial cancer, the laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) plus laparoscopic lymphadenectomy has been performed in FIGO stage I endometrial cancer in selected centers for about a decade. Clinical studies have shown that the frequency of intra- and postoperative complications, the pelvic and paraaortic lymph node yield, and—more importantly—the overall survival, are similar both with the laparoscopic-assisted vaginal approach and the abdominal approach in stage I disease. Blood loss and duration of hospital stay may even be reduced with the LAVH. In summary, provided there is compliance with established oncologic guidelines, LAVH with pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy can probably be performed in patients with endometrial cancer FIGO stage I without safety loss.