The role of radical surgery followed by adjuvant therapy for high-risk early-stage cervical carcinoma patients with pelvic lymph node metastasis.
OBJECTIVE
To identify a subgroup of high-risk node-positive patients in early-stage cervical cancers and to determine the role of radical hysterectomy followed by adjuvant therapy to these patients.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective review of 482 surgically-treated patients of clinical stage Ib and IIa cervical carcinoma from July 1986 to December 1994 at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Of these, 96 patients had pelvic lymph node metastases. Clinicopathological variables, including the level of pretreatment squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag), DNA flow cytometry analysis, and the use of different adjuvant therapies were studied.


RESULTS
Disease-free survival was significantly worse among patients with S-phase fraction greater than 20% and pretreatment SCC-Ag level above 5 ng/ml. Utilizing these significant variables, we identified two distinct risk groups. Those patients without any of the risk variables were categorized as the low-risk group. Those patients with either one or both risk variables were categorized as the high-risk group. Five-year disease-free survival rates were 74% in the low-risk group and 43% in the high-risk group, (P=0.034). Disease recurred in 30.2% of the low-risk patients and 45. 3% of the high-risk patients. No survival advantages were found by using different adjuvant therapies.


CONCLUSIONS
Radical hysterectomy should not be attempted if either the pretreatment SCC-Ag level is above 5 ng/ml or S-phase fraction of the tumor greater than 20% due to its limited value despite applying aggressive postoperative adjuvant therapy.
Lin
H
H
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 123, Ta Pei Road, Niao Sung Hsiang, Hsien, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
ChangChien
C C
CC
Huang
E Y
EY
Eng
H L
HL
Huang
C C
CC
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018196:Carcinoma, Adenosquamous / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010388:Pelvis; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015843:Serpins; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D015843:Serpins; C051072:squamous cell carcinoma-related antigen