Clinicopathological features influencing pelvic lymph node metastasis and vaginal and parametrial involvement in patients with carcinoma of the cervix.
OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to evaluate clinical and pathologic findings that predicted pelvic lymph node metastasis and parametrial and vaginal involvement in patients with stage IB carcinoma of the cervix.


METHODS
71 patients with diagnosis of stage IB (FIGO) cervical cancer were prospectively studied from December 1997 to August 2002. The patient's age, clinical stage (IB1 or IB2), histological classification, grade of differentiation, tumor volume, and lymphatic vascular space invasion (LVSI) were evaluated. Statistical methods included chi2 test and Fisher's exact test to evaluate significant differences between the groups. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.


RESULTS
The clinical stage was IB1 in 51 patients (71.8%) and IB2 in 20 patients (28.2%). The histological classification identified squamous cell carcinoma in 60 patients (84.5%) and adenocarcinoma in 11 patients (15.5%). The average tumoral volume was 22.8 +/- 24.3 cm3 (0.3-140.0 cm3). The tumor was well differentiated (G1) in 8 (11.3%), moderately differentiated (G2) in 40 (56.3%) and poorly differentiated in 23 (32.4%) of the cases. The presence of LVSI was detected in 14 patients (19.7%) and was associated with pelvic lymph node metastasis and vaginal and parametrial involvement (p = 0.002, p = 0.001 and p < 0.001; respectively). The average number of positive pelvic lymph nodes was significantly higher in the patients with LVSI compared with patients without LVSI (2.47 +/- 2.8 vs. 0.33 +/- 0.74; p = 0.001). There was no association of age, clinical stage, histological classification, grade of differentiation or tumor volume with pelvic lymph node metastasis and vaginal and parametrial involvement.


CONCLUSIONS
The presence of LVSI is significantly associated with pelvic lymph node metastasis and vaginal and parametrial involvement in patients with stage IB cervical carcinoma.
Silva-Filho
Agnaldo L
AL
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. agsilvaf@terra.com.br
Reis
Fernando M
FM
Traiman
Paulo
P
Pedrosa
Moises S
MS
Miranda
Dairton
D
Triginelli
Sérgio A
SA
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000556:secondary*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010386:Pelvic Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D014625:Vaginal Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*