title: Recurrence patterns in patients with early stage cervical cancer treated with radical hysterectomy and external pelvic irradiation.
abstract: One hundred and fifty patients with clinical FIGO stage IB-II cervical cancer who underwent radical surgery followed by external pelvic irradiation between 1978 and 1991 were reviewed. Until June 1994, 28 (18.7%) patients developed recurrent disease. Seventeen (60.7%) of them experienced a pelvic failure, 7 (25.0%) an extrapelvic failure and 4 (14.3%) both a pelvic and an extrapelvic failure. The median time to recurrence was 16 months for patients with pelvic failure (range = 4-50 months), 27 months for those with extrapelvic failure (range = 6-49 months), and 21 months for those with both pelvic and extrapelvic failure (range u 8-56 months). Recurrence rates were significantly related to surgical-pathologic stage, tumor size and lymph node status, but not to histologic type. An extrapelvic recurrence, alone or associated with a pelvic failure, was found in 0.9% of 117 patients with negative lymph nodes, 6.2% of 16 patients with one or two positive lymph nodes, and 52.9% of 17 patients with three or more positive lymph nodes, (p = 0.0001). It is worth noting that 9 (81.8%) out of the 11 patients who developed extrapelvic recurrences had three or more involved lymph nodes. The number of positive lymph nodes (p = 0.0001) and the tumor size (p = 0.0046) were independent prognostic variables for disease-free survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gadducci
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Fabrini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonuccelli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fanucchi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perutelli
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Facchini
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D011859:Radiography; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D017211:Treatment Failure; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*