title: Primary treatment of cervical carcinoma. Ten years experience from one Norwegian health region.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the primary care of cervical carcinoma with regard to clinical and pathological factors, treatment decisions, complications and survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  A historical cohort comprising all women hospitalized with invasive cervical carcinoma (n=293) during the period 1987-1996.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median age was 52 years (range 23-90). FIGO stage distribution was 62%, 15%, 18% and 5% in stages I, II, III and IV, respectively. Early stage disease correlated with young age. Histologic types were: squamous cell carcinoma 84%, adenocarcinoma 11%, adenosquamous carcinoma 4% and small cell/anaplastic carcinoma 1%. Primary therapies were: surgery 188 women (64%), radiotherapy 99 women (34%), chemotherapy two women (0.7%); four women not treated (1.3%). Complications after surgery in 25 women (13%), none were fatal. Acute or late complications after primary or postoperative radiotherapy in 39 women (25%), seven (4.6%) were late serious complications. Three women died from complications related to radiotherapy. Mean follow-up of surviving patients was 58 months. Overall disease specific five-year survival was 70%. Five-year survival in stages IA, IB, II and III was 100%, 88%, 58% and 20%, respectively. One-year survival in stage IV was 31%. Median survival in stages III and IV according to curative or palliative aim of treatment was 20 and 6 months, respectively (p<0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Satisfactory quality of diagnosis and therapy have been maintained through regional care for cervical cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Trondheim University Hospital, Norway.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hagen
authors.forename: F E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Skjeldestad
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Halvorsen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Strickert
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tingulstad
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lorenz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onsrud
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery*