Long-term survival with adjuvant whole abdominopelvic irradiation for uterine papillary serous carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
The optimum management of uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC), a clinically aggressive histologic variant of endometrial adenocarcinoma, is a controversial issue.


METHODS
Ten patients with UPSC were reviewed who received whole abdominopelvic irradiation (WAP) as adjuvant therapy after a staging laparotomy and debulking surgery.


RESULTS
Nine patients had clinical Stage I disease; the tumors in eight of them were upstaged based on laparotomy findings. There was greater than a 50% invasion of the myometrium in four of the hysterectomy specimens, and vascular space invasion was noted in seven patients. Peritoneal washings were positive in three of the nine specimens obtained; two others showed atypical cells. Five patients are alive with no evidence of disease at 102-133 months. Four patients are dead, and one patient is alive with disease. All recurrences were observed within 30 months of the initial diagnosis and were more common in the presence of deep myometrial invasion and vascular space involvement. Three of the four patients who died had pleural effusions that did not respond to hormonal and/or chemotherapy. Local irradiation produced long-term control of recurrences in two patients, including one with supraclavicular lymph node metastases who had no evidence of disease 117 months after radiation treatment to the involved nodes.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that WAP be considered as an adjuvant therapy in the management of UPSC. The patients with the greatest benefit were those with early disease by surgical staging with or without positive peritoneal cytologic findings. For patients at high risk for pleural effusions and pulmonary metastasis, additional adjuvant therapy, such as innovative chemotherapy or low-dose lung irradiation, needs to be considered.
Mallipeddi
P
P
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, California 94305-5317.
Kapp
D S
DS
Teng
N N
NN
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D000368:Aged; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged