title: Para-aortic node biopsy in cervical and endometrial cancers: does it affect survival?
abstract: Two hundred ten patients with endometrial and cervical carcinoma had para-aortic node biopsies. Nineteen of the 210 patients (9.0%) had positive para-aortic nodes. These 19 patients received pelvic irradiation, and 18 patients received para-aortic irradiation. The incidence of para-aortic nodal involvement in cervical carcinoma was directly related to the stage of the disease. Eleven of the 12 patients with cervical carcinoma and positive para-aortic nodes received both pelvic and para-aortic irradiation. Three of these patients are alive without disease, resulting in a survival rate of 25%. These patients are surviving for 16, 30, and 41 months. The incidence of positive para-aortic nodes in endometrial adenocarcinoma was related to the uterine length and the histologic grade. The survival rate for patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma and positive para-aortic nodes in this study was 57.1%. Four patients have survived for 1, 30, 60, and 71 months. There were no surgical deaths or radiation therapy complications directly attributable to para-aortic biopsy or irradiation.
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D001011:Aorta; D001706:Biopsy; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery