title: Prognostic factors and selective use of vaginal hysterectomy in early stage endometrial carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Endometrial cancer represents the fourth most frequent malignancy in women of any age, tending to become the most common gynaecological tumor in developed Countries. A retrospective analysis has been conducted on the prognostic factors of endometrial neoplasm during 15-years experience (1977-1991).
  
  
  METHODS
  321 patients affected by stage I and II endometrial carcinoma have been treated surgically first hand. Surgical-pathological staging and prognostic factors were reviewed and related to follow-up and 5-year survival rate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The age-peak of patients was 50-70 years; prevalent histologic type was adenocarcinoma (95.6%); 269 patients were in stage I and 52 in stage II. In stage I disease overall 5-year survival rate resulted to be 81.4%, while in stage II it fell to 59.6%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Myometrial involvement by adenocarcinomatous cells is probably the most important prognostic factor, considering its reliability and non-contradictory evaluation. Our data confirm there is no difference in impact on 5-year survival between abdominal and vaginal routes in clinical stage I and occult stage II endometrial carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carriero
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nappi
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Melilli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Gesù
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cormio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Vagno
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferreri
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D000368:Aged; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007045:Hysterectomy, Vaginal; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate