The Survival Rate and Surgical Morbidity of Abdominal Radical Trachelectomy Versus Abdominal Radical Hysterectomy for Stage IB1 Cervical Cancer

Comparison of outcomes of laparotomic and minimally invasive radical hysterectomy in women with early-stage cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE

This study compared the outcomes of laparotomic radical hysterectomy (LRH) and minimally invasive radical hysterectomy (MISRH) in patients with early-stage cervical cancer.

METHODS

The clinical data of patients with early-stage cervical cancer who underwent LRH or MISRH (laparoscopic/robotic) at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Branch, from 2002 to 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. The surgical safety (operation time, blood loss, blood transfusion rate, length of postoperative stay, and perioperative complications), overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and recurrence pattern were analyzed. Propensity score matching (PSM) at a 3:1 ratio was performed to balance prognostic variables.

RESULTS

Of the 760 patients (entire cohort), 614 underwent LRH and 146 underwent MISRH. After PSM, 394 and 140 patients were included in the LRH and MISRH groups, respectively. The 5-year OS rate was significantly lower in the MISRH group than in the LRH group (85.6% vs. 93.2%, p=0.043), and the 5-year DFS rate (p=0.21) did not differ significantly. After PSM, the 5-year OS rates did not differ significantly between the MISRH and LRH groups (87.1% vs. 92.1%, p=0.393). The MISRH group had a significantly shorter operation time (p<0.001), lower intraoperative blood loss (p<0.001), lower blood transfusion rate (p<0.001), and shorter postoperative stay (p<0.001) but a significantly higher rate of intraoperative bladder injury (p<0.001) than the LRH group.

CONCLUSION

After PSM, MISRH is associated with nonsignificantly lower OS but a significantly higher risk of intraoperative urological complications than LRH.

Effect of laparoscopic-assisted transvaginal hysterectomy on wound complications in patients with early stage cervical cancer: A meta-analysis

Laparoscopic-assisted vaginal radical hysterectomy (LARVH) and abdominal radical hysterectomy (ARH) have been widely applied to treat cervical carcinoma. But LARVH and ARH have not been fully investigated in treating cervical carcinoma after injury associated with injury. This research is intended to provide an up-to-date basis for comparing LARVH with ARH in early stage cervical carcinoma. Comparison between LARVH and ARH in cervical carcinoma was carried out through a combination of related research. Eligible articles from databases such as PubMed and Embase were screened using an established search strategy. This report covered the results of LARVH versus ARH in cervical carcinoma. The average difference and the 95% confidence interval (CI) were used for the combination of consecutive variables. The combination of categorical variables was performed with the odds ratio (OR) 95% confidence interval. Through the identification of 1137 publications, eight of them were chosen to be analysed. Among them, 363 were treated with LARVH and 326 were treated with ARH. Eight trials showed that LARVH was associated with a reduced risk of postoperative wound infection than ARH (OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.1-0.55, p = 0.0009). Five trials showed that there was no difference in the risk of postoperative bleeding after surgery (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.42-3.29, p = 0.76). We also did not differ significantly in the duration of the surgery (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, -6.58 to 10.15, p = 0.68). So, the two surgical methods differ significantly only in the risk of postoperative wound infection.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical trachelectomy versus upfront abdominal radical trachelectomy for patients with FIGO 2018 stage IB2 cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE

To explore the optimal fertility-sparing treatment for stage IB2 cervical cancer. We compared the outcomes of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by radical trachelectomy (RT) with those of upfront abdominal RT (ART).

METHODS

This is a retrospective study with prospectively collected data between August 2015 and July 2019. Patients with IB2 cervical cancer who desired fertility preservation underwent NACT followed by RT, or upfront ART, per their choice.

RESULTS

This study included 51 patients, of which, 16 patients underwent NACT followed by RT and 35 patients chose upfront ART. Fertility was preserved in 12 (75.0%) and 27 (77.1%) patients from the NACT and upfront ART groups, respectively. Incidence rates of intraoperative (0% versus 3.7%) and postoperative complications (25.0% versus 48.1%) of the NACT group were lower compared to the upfront ART group (P=NS). Eleven (91.7%) patients in NACT group and 17 (63.0%) patients in upfront ART groups received adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery. The median follow-up, and 5-year recurrence-free survival rates of the NACT-RT and upfront ART groups were 56 and 61 months, and 83.3% and 96.3%, respectively (P=NS). The recurrence rate was higher in patients with tumor reduction <50% after NACT than that in patients with tumor reduction >50% (66.7% versus 0%, P < 0.05). Tumor reduction <50% was the only independent predictor of recurrence in patients who underwent NACT before RT.

CONCLUSIONS

NACT followed by RT could be a feasible fertility-sparing option for selected patients with 1B2 cervical cancer. The NACT group had a relatively higher recurrence rate and fewer complications compared to the upfront ART group, albeit without statistical significance. Patients with tumor regression >50% after NACT could be ideal candidates for RT after NACT.

Meta-analysis of laparoscopic radical hysterectomy, excluding robotic assisted versus open radical hysterectomy for early stage cervical cancer

Recent evidence has shown an increase in recurrence and a decrease in overall survival in patients treated with laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (LRH) and robotic assisted radical hysterectomy (RRH) open techniques (ORH). In addition, several high quality trials were recently published regarding the laparoscopic treatment of early stage cervical cancer. We sought out to reassess the recurrence rates, overall survival, complications and outcomes associated with laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (LRH) techniques against open techniques (ORH) when robotic assisted techniques were excluded. We searched PubMed, Medline, Cochrane CENTRAL, SCOPUS, ClinicalTrials.Gov and Web of Science for relevant clinical trials and observational studies. We included all studies that compared with early stage cervical cancer receiving LRH compared with ORH. We included randomized clinical trials, prospective cohort, and retrospective cohort trials. We included studies that included LRH and RRH as long as data was available to separate the two arms. We excluded studies that combined LRH and RRH without supplying data to differentiate. Of 1244 total studies, we used a manual three step screening process. Sixty studies ultimately met our criteria. We performed this review in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. We analyzed continuous data using mean difference (MD) and a 95% confidence interval (CI), while dichotomous data were analyzed using odds ratio (OR) and a 95% CI. Review Manager and Endnote software were utilized in the synthesis. We found that when excluding RRH, the was no significant difference regarding 5-year overall Survival (OR = 1.24 [0.94, 1.64], (P = 0.12), disease free survival (OR = 1.00 [0.80, 1.26], (P = 0.98), recurrence (OR = 1.01 [0.81, 1.25], (P = 0.95), or intraoperative complications (OR = 1.38 [0.94, 2.04], (P = 0.10). LRH was statistically better than ORH in terms of estimated blood loss (MD = - 325.55 [- 386.16, - 264.94] (P < 0.001), blood transfusion rate (OR = 0.28 [0.14, 0.55], (P = 0.002), postoperative complication rate (OR = 0.70 [0.55, 0.90], (P = 0.005), and length of hospital stay (MD = - 3.64[- 4.27, - 3.01], (P < 0.001). ORH was superior in terms of operating time (MD = 20.48 [8.62, 32.35], (P = 0.007) and number of resected lymph nodes (MD = - 2.80 [- 4.35, - 1.24], (P = 0.004). The previously seen increase recurrence and decrease in survival is not seen in LRH when robotic assisted techniques are included and all new high quality is considered. LRH is also associated with a significantly shorter hospital stay, less blood loss and lower complication rate.Prospero Prospective Registration Number: CRD42022267138.

Para-Aortic Lymph Node Dissection for Patients with Node-Negative Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Objective. The current guidelines for cervical cancer are uncertain regarding whether the para-aortic lymph nodes (PALNs) need to be removed. For patients with negative PALNs, whether the addition of PALN dissection (PALND) can be translated into survival benefits is unknown. Methods. The medical records of 3,995 patients with FIGO stage IB-IIA cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) who underwent abdominal radical surgery between 2006 and 2014 at our center were retrospectively reviewed. Two groups were identified: PALN-negative patients who underwent PALND (+PALND) and those who did not (−PALND). The groups were matched by propensity score matching (PSM). Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model. Subgroups were stratified by the variables known at the time of diagnosis. Results. After PSM, 313 patients were matched to the −PALND (cohort 1) and +PALND (cohort 2) groups. Cohort 2 patients had a poorer prognosis than cohort 1 patients in terms of overall survival (OS, $P=0.014$ ), and PALND was an independent prognostic factor for OS ( $P=0.021$ ). There were no differences in recurrence patterns between the groups. Subgroup analysis showed that cohort 2 patients had worse OS than cohort 1 patients when they were aged ≤47 years ( $P=0.033$ ), were premenopausal ( $P=0.032$ ), were in stage IB ( $P=0.009$ ), or had preoperative SCC-Ag<6.5 ( $P=0.009$ ). Conclusions. PALND negatively impacts OS in early-stage PALN-negative CSCC patients. For CSCC patients who are clinically PALN-negative, especially those who are young, are premenopausal, have tumors confined to the cervix, and have relatively low SCC-Ag values, PALND may “rub salt on the wound.”

Outcomes of Trachelectomy vs. Hysterectomy for Early-Stage Cervical Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective: To provide updated evidence on comparative efficacy for clinical outcomes of radical trachelectomy and radical hysterectomy in patients with early-stage cervical cancer.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Google scholar databases. Studies were done in patients with early-stage cervical cancer that compared the outcomes between radical trachelectomy (RT) and hysterectomy (RH) were considered for inclusion in the review. The outcomes of interest were operative time, the volume of blood loss, need for blood transfusion, any complications, length of hospital stay, risk of recurrence, and survival. The strength of association was presented in the form of pooled relative risk (RR), hazards risk (HR), and weighted mean difference (WMD). Statistical analysis was done using STATA version 16.0.

Results: A total of 12 articles were included in the meta-analysis. The majority were retrospective cohort-based studies. Compared to RH, the operative time (in min) was comparatively higher in RT (WMD 23.43, 95% CI: 5.63, 41.24). Patients undergoing RT had blood loss (in ml) similar to those undergoing RT (WMD −81.34, 95% CI: −170.36, 7.68). There were no significant differences in the risk of intra-operative (RR 1.61, 95% CI: 0.49, 5.28) and post-operative complications (RR 1.13, 95% CI: 0.54, 2.40) between the two groups. Patients in the RT group had lesser duration of post-operative hospital stay (in days) (WMD −1.65, 95% CI: −3.22, −0.09). There was no statistically significant difference in the risk of recurrence (HR 1.21, 95% CI: 0.68, 2.18), 5-year overall survival (HR 1.00, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.02), and recurrence-free survival (HR 0.99, 95% CI: 0.96, 1.01) between the two groups.

Conclusion: Among the patients with early-stage cervical cancer, RT is similar to RH in safety and clinical outcomes. Future studies with a randomized design and larger sample sizes are needed to further substantiate these findings.

Minimally invasive versus open radical trachelectomy for early-stage cervical cancer: protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial in China

Background

There are limited data comparing the oncologic and fertility outcomes of patients with early-stage cervical cancer (CC) treated by minimally invasive radical trachelectomy (MIRT) or abdominal radical trachelectomy (ART). The purpose of this multicenter study is to compare the oncologic and fertility outcomes of patients treated by MIRT or ART in a randomized controlled manner in China.

Methods

This is a noninferiority, randomized controlled trial performed at 28 Chinese centers; the study is designed to compare the oncologic and fertility outcomes of patients treated by MIRT (robot-assisted or laparoscopic RT) or ART. Patients will be recruited if they have been diagnosed with stage IA1 (with lymphovascular space invasion), IA2, or IB1 CC (with a maximum tumor diameter ≤ 2 cm) in the FIGO 2009 staging system and histological subtypes of squamous carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, or adenosquamous carcinoma and if they are also aged 18 to 40 years. These candidates will be randomly assigned to undergo MIRT or ART. The primary endpoint will be disease-free survival. Secondary endpoints will consist of overall and disease-free survival rates, fertility outcomes, and quality of life. A total of 414 patients are needed to accomplish the study goal, with 90.1% power at a 0.050 significance level to detect an equivalence hazard ratio of 0.75 in the ART group, considering 20% loss to follow-up.

Discussion

The results of the trial should provide robust evidence to surgeons regarding options for the surgical approach in patients with early-stage CC who have a strong willingness to preserve fertility.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03739944. Registered on November 14, 2018

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-020-04938-3.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by conization in stage IB2-IIA1 cervical cancer larger than 2 cm: a pilot study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate feasibility of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by cold-knife conization (CKC) in patients with 2018 FIGO stage IB2-IIA1 cervical cancer who desired to maintain fertility.

DESIGN

Pilot study of conization after chemotherapy in stage IB2-IIA1 >2 cm cervical cancer.

SETTING

University hospital.

PATIENT(S)

From 2014 to 2018, 25 patients, <40 years of age, were enrolled.

INTERVENTIONS(S)

After laparoscopic pelvic lymph-node assessment, NACT with cisplatin/paclitaxel q21 was administered to eligible patients. Responsive patients were treated with CKC.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Obstetrical outcome: pregnancy rate. Oncologic outcome.

RESULT(S)

Thirteen out of 25 patients were eligible for fertility-sparing treatment. Oncologic outcome: The clinical overall response rate was 84.5% (11 out of 13 patients). One patient achieved stable disease, was managed by radical surgery, and is still alive; another one experienced progression of disease and died after 15 months. The optimal pathologic response was 69.1%. In the setting of fertility preservation patients, the median follow-up was 37 months (range 18-76). In this group we registered one distant recurrence, 12 months after CKC, in the liver; the patient is still alive and without evidence of disease. Obstetrical outcome: Among the nine patients amenable, three tried to conceive, and two spontaneous pregnancy occurred a few months after the end of treatment, for a pregnancy rate of 66.7%.

CONCLUSION(S)

This pilot study supports the feasibility of CKC after NACT as conservative treatment in stage IB2-IIA1 cervical cancer, with oncologic outcomes similar to those reported for trachelectomy in the same stage and with potential benefits in terms of obstetrical outcomes.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT02323841.

Simple conization and pelvic lymphadenectomy in early-stage cervical cancer: A retrospective analysis and review of the literature

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the feasibility of cervical conization and laparoscopic pelvic lymphadenectomy as a fertility-sparing surgery to treat early-stage cervical cancer.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis from a prospectively maintained database of patients with stage IA1-IB1 grossly invisible cervical cancers undergoing conization plus laparoscopic lymphadenectomy between January 2014 and July 2019.

RESULTS

Forty patients were identified. Five patients (12.5%) had stage IA1 with lymphovascular space invasion, 21 (52.5%) had stage IA2, and 14 (35.0%) had stage IB1. All of the patients had tumors <2 cm. Histology included 35 (87.5%) squamous-cell carcinomas, three (7.5%) adenocarcinomas, and two (5.0%) adenosquamous carcinomas. Median duration of the procedure was 105 min (range, 31-219), and the median estimated blood loss was 50 ml (range, 30-200). One patient received abdominal radical trachelectomy due to the presence of positive margin after conization. Three patients developed postoperative cervical stenosis. After a median follow-up of 35 months (range, 8-74), only one patient (2.5%) developed a recurrence in the remaining cervix, and no patients died. Four of 17 patients attempting to conceive had a spontaneous pregnancy: three delivered at term and one was currently pregnant.

CONCLUSION

Cervical conization and pelvic lymphadenectomy seems to be an acceptable treatment for well-selected patients with low-risk, early-stage cervical cancer who wish to preserve fertility. It offers excellent oncologic outcomes, low perioperative morbidities, and good reproductive results. Further large prospective studies are warranted to prove the effectiveness of this surgery.

Comparison of laparoscopic and open radical hysterectomy in cervical cancer patients with tumor size ≤2 cm

OBJECTIVE

There is recent evidence that demonstrates worse oncologic outcomes associated with minimally invasive radical hysterectomy when compared with open radical hysterectomy, particularly in patients with tumors >2 cm. The aim of our study was to retrospectively evaluate the oncological outcomes between laparoscopic and open radical hysterectomy in International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics(FIGO) 2009 stage IB1 (FIGO 2009) cervical cancer patients with tumor size ≤2 cm.

METHODS

A retrospective review of medical records was performed to identify patients who underwent either laparoscopic or open radical hysterectomy during January 2010 and December 2018. Inclusion criteria were: (1) histologically confirmed cervical cancer including all histological types; (2) FIGO 2009 stage IB1; (3) tumor size ≤2 cm (determined by pelvic examination, magnetic resonance imaging or transvaginal ultrasound); (4) had undergone radical hysterectomy (type II or III) with pelvic and/or para-aortic lymphadenectomy as primary surgical treatment; (5) had follow-up information. Patients with FIGO 2009 stage IA1 or IA2, tumor size >2 cm, or who received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy before surgery, those with cervical cancer incidentally found after simple hysterectomy, or with insufficient data were excluded. Concurrent comparison between the laparoscopic and open cohorts was made for disease-free survival and overall survival.

RESULTS

A total of 325 cervical cancer patients were included; of these, 129 patients underwent laparoscopic surgery and 196 patients had open surgery. The median follow-up times were 51.8 months (range 2-115) for laparoscopic surgery and 49.5 months (range 3-108) for open surgery. Patients in the laparoscopic group had significantly worse 5 year disease-free survival than those in the open group (90.4% vs 97.7%; p=0.02). There was no significant difference in 5 year overall survival between groups (96.9% vs 99.4%, p=0.33). The Cox proportional hazards regression analysis indicated that laparoscopic surgery was associated with lower disease-free survival compared with open surgery (adjusted hazard ratio 4.64, 95% CI 1.26 to 17.06; p=0.02). In patients with non-squamous cell carcinoma or with grade II-III, laparoscopic surgery had a significantly worse 5 year disease-free survival compared with the open surgery group (74% vs 100%, p=0.01, and 88.8% vs 98.0%, p=0.02, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Laparoscopic radical hysterectomy was associated with worse disease-free survival for stage IB1 (FIGO 2009) cervical cancer patients with tumor size ≤2 cm compared with open radical hysterectomy. Further studies may shed additional light on the impact of minimally invasive surgery in this low-risk patient population.

Reproductive and obstetric outcomes after abdominal radical trachelectomy (ART) for patients with early-stage cervical cancers in Fudan, China

OBJECTIVE

To report the reproductive and obstetric outcomes of patients undergoing abdominal radical trachelectomy (ART) for the treatment of early-stage cervical cancers in Fudan, China.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed a prospectively collected database of 360 patients with stage IA1-IB1 cervical cancers who underwent ART between 2004 and 2018.

RESULTS

Overall, 211 women (58.6%) did not plan to get pregnant immediately after ART, and 89.6% of them were due to childbearing before surgery or unmarried. Among 149 women who attempted to conceive, 26 (17.4%) of them achieved 30 pregnancies. Eighty-six patients (57.7%) had infertility problems, 44 attempted to conceive with assisted reproductive technologies, and 12 (27.3%) succeeded. Post-operative cervical stenosis (26, 27.4%) and fallopian tube obstruction (22, 23.2%) were the most common reasons for infertility after surgery. Among the patients who conceived, there were 3 first-trimester miscarriages, 6 second-trimester miscarriages, and 2 elective terminations. A total of 19 pregnancies reached the third trimester, and 84.2% of them ended after 36 weeks. Twelve of 20 cases in patients with cerclage placed had full-term birth, while 3 of 5 patients without cerclage placed suffered from second-trimester miscarriage or preterm birth.

CONCLUSIONS

Immediately after ART, many patients were reluctant to conceive, while others suffered from cervical stenosis or fallopian tube obstruction, which had led to low pregnancy rate. Pregnant patients might experience miscarriage or preterm labor which could be prevented by cervical cerclage. Assisted reproductive technology should be encouraged to improve obstetric outcomes.

Perioperative morbidity of radical trachelectomy with lymphadenectomy in early-stage cervical cancer: a French prospective multicentric cohort

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine the predictive factors of postoperative morbidity of patients who have undergone a radical trachelectomy (RT) for early-stage cervical cancer and to assess the oncologic outcomes.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed the data of 2 prospective trials on sentinel node biopsy for cervical cancer (SENTICOL I and II). Patients having a RT for early-stage cervical cancer with negative sentinel lymph node and safe margins, were included.

Results

Forty-nine patients met the inclusion criteria. Forty-five patients had a laparoscopic-assisted vaginal technique and 4 patients a total laparoscopic technique. The median age was 32 years (range, 22–46 years). 83.7% of patients had a stage IB1 disease. There were 63.3% squamous cell carcinomas and 34.7% adenocarcinomas. The median follow-up was 46 months (range, 1–85 months). Two patients (3.3%) had a severe postoperative complication (Clavien-Dindo ≥III and/or CTCAE ≥3). The main postoperative complications were urinary (28.6%), lymphovascular (26.5%) and neurologic (14.3%). On a multivariate analysis, postoperative complications were significantly associated with history of pelvic surgery and IB1 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage. Inclusion in high surgical skills centers decrease the risk of postoperative complications. During the follow-up, 3 patients (6.1%) had a local recurrence and one patient died from a breast cancer. Between group with complications and group without any complications, overall survival and recurrence-free survival did not significantly differ at 5-year of follow-up.

Conclusion

RT has few severe postoperative complications and appears as a safe alternative to spare fertility of young patients. To guarantee best surgical outcomes, patients should be referred to expert center.

Trends in Use and Survival Associated With Fertility-Sparing Trachelectomy for Young Women With Early-Stage Cervical Cancer

OBJECTIVE

To assess the trends in use of trachelectomy in the United States and to examine the outcomes of the procedure compared with hysterectomy in young women with cervical cancer.

METHODS

Data were analyzed from women younger than 50 years of age with stage IA2-IB2 cervical cancer treated with hysterectomy or trachelectomy from 2004 to 2014 who were registered in the National Cancer Database. After propensity score matching, we used Cox proportional hazard models to examine the association between treatment and survival.

RESULTS

We identified 15,150 patients with cervical cancer, including 14,714 (97.1%) who underwent hysterectomy and 436 (2.9%) who underwent trachelectomy. Trachelectomy rates increased from 1.5% in 2004 to 3.8% by 2014 (P<.001). The greatest increase in the rate of trachelectomy was seen in women younger than 30 years of age (4.6% in 2004 to 17.0% in 2014, P<.001). Among women who underwent trachelectomy, 29.6% had tumors greater than 2 cm in diameter. In a multivariable model, younger women and those more recently diagnosed were more likely to undergo trachelectomy, whereas Medicaid recipients (risk ratio 0.39, 95% CI 0.28-0.54) and the uninsured (risk ratio 0.67, 95% CI 0.45-1.00) were less likely to undergo trachelectomy. After propensity score matching, there was no association between trachelectomy and the risk of mortality (hazard ratio 1.24, 95% CI 0.70-2.22) (mortality rate was 6.0% for hysterectomy vs 5.2% for trachelectomy). Similarly, 5-year survival rates were similar between trachelectomy and hysterectomy for all of the stages examined.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of trachelectomy for early-stage cervical cancer has increased in the United States, particularly among women younger than 30 years of age. Within this population, survival is similar for trachelectomy and hysterectomy.

Short- and long term outcomes after abdominal radical trachelectomy versus radical hysterectomy for early stage cervical cancer: a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Cervical cancer (CC) ranks 2nd for mortality among women of reproductive age in the United States. Abdominal radical trachelectomy (ART) is a fertility sparing approach that has been proposed in women with early stage CC who wish to preserve their fertility. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes of RH vs ART for early stage CC.

METHODS

A total of 5 electronic databases were searched for articles published up to December 2018. Prospective and retrospective trials reporting outcomes for women who underwent ART or RH for the management of early stages CC, were considered eligible for inclusion. Statistical meta-analysis was performed using the RevMan 5.3 software.

RESULTS

A total of 5 studies which included 840 women who underwent ART or radical trachelectomy (RH) were included in the present meta-analysis. Among them, 324 underwent ART whereas the remaining 516 had RH. Despite the fact that ART was associated with significantly prolonged operative time compared to RH (840 patients MD 36.82 min, 95% CI 20.15-53.49, p < 0.001), neither 5-year OS nor 5-year DFS were different among the two groups (714 patients OR 1.39, 95% CI 0.53-3.62, p = 0.51 and 682 patients OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.52-2.25, p = 0.84, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

ART is a more complex and time consuming technique, but equally safe compared to RH in terms of oncological outcomes for selected women with early stage CC and allows for more CC survivors of childbearing age to preserve their fertility.

Radical abdominal trachelectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy in a nulliparous patient with cervical adenocarcinoma: A case report

Cancer of the cervix is the fourth most common malignancy among women in the world and the sixth most common among women in Europe. Almost half of patients with an early-stage invasive cervical carcinoma are under 40 years of age, while the average age at first pregnancy in European countries is over 28 years. Therefore many women with cervical cancer have not started or completed their family at the time of diagnosis and ask for fertility-sparing surgery. Radical trachelectomy is a safe alternative to standard care (radical hysterectomy) for patients diagnosed with early-stage cervical cancer and is a reasonable choice in well selected cases. We present the case of a 23-year-old patient diagnosed with a cervical adenocarcinoma and treated with abdominal trachelectomy.

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Cervical cancer is currently the fourth most common female malignancy in the world

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Almost half of the patients with an early stage disease are under 40 years old.

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The average age of first pregnancy in European countries is above 28 years old.

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Radical trachelectomy (RT) is a safe and appropriate fertility sparing procedure.

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We report a case of a young patient managed with radical abdominal trachelectomy.

Asian Society of Gynecologic Oncology International Workshop 2018

The Asian Society of Gynecologic Oncology International Workshop 2018 on gynecologic oncology was held in the Ajou University Hospital, Suwon, Korea on the 24th to 25th August 2018. The workshop was an opportunity for Asian doctors to discuss the latest findings of gynecologic cancer, including cervical, ovarian, and endometrial cancers, as well as the future of fertility-sparing treatments, minimally invasive/radical/debulking surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Clinical guidelines and position statement of Asian countries were presented by experts. Asian clinical trials for gynecologic cancers were reviewed and experts emphasized the point that original Asian study is beneficial for Asian patients. In Junior session, young gynecologic oncologists presented their latest research on gynecologic cancers.

Oncological results and recurrent risk factors following abdominal radical trachelectomy: an updated series of 333 patients

OBJECTIVE

To update the oncological results and identify recurrent risk factors in young patients with early stage cervical cancers following abdominal radical trachelectomy (ART).

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

SETTING

A university-based cancer hospital.

POPULATION

Three hundred and thirty-three patients.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis from a prospectively maintained database of patients undergoing ART from April 2004 to December 2017.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Survival rate, clinicopathological factors related to recurrences.

RESULTS

Two hundred and seventy-one patients had squamous carcinomas (SCC), 51 had pure adenocarcinomas (AC), and 11 had adenosquamous carcinomas (AS). One hundred thirty-two women (39.6%) had tumours ≥2 cm. With a median follow up of 56 months (range, 6-169), 11 patients (3.3%) had recurrence, and five patients (1.5%) died. The cumulative 5-year recurrence-free survival and overall survival rates were 96.3 and 98.6%, respectively. The recurrence rate in women with tumours ≥2 cm was comparable to that in patients with tumours <2 cm (5.3 versus 2.0%, respectively, P = NS). However, the recurrence rate was significantly higher in patients with AS histology than those with AC and SCC histology (18.2, 3.9, and 2.6%, respectively, P < 0.05). All of the recurrent patients with AS histology had tumours ≥2 cm. Multivariate analysis showed that the only independent risk factor for recurrence was histology type.

CONCLUSIONS

This updated series showed a favourable survival rate following ART. These results further supported that ART was a safe option for well-selected patients with stage IB1 cervical cancers ≥2 cm. However, if patients with tumours ≥2 cm have AS histology, they should be advised with great caution when contemplating ART.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

Abdominal radical trachelectomy could be a safe, fertility-sparing option for strictly selected patients with stage IA1-IB1 cervical cancers ≤4 cm.

Tailoring radicality in early cervical cancer: how far can we go?

Today, the patient who is diagnosed with early cervical cancer is offered a variety of treatments apart from standard therapy. Patients can be treated with a less radical hysterectomy (RH) regarding parametrectomy, a trachelectomy either vaginal or abdominal, and this can be performed through a minimal invasive or open procedure. All this in combination with nerve sparing and/or sentinel node technique. Level 1 evidence for the oncological safety of all these modifications is only available from 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Two RCTs on more or less radical parametrectomy both showed that oncological safety was not compromised by doing less radical surgery. Because of the heterogeneity of the patient population and the high frequency of adjuvant radiotherapy, the true impact of surgical radicality cannot be assessed. Regarding the issue of oncological safety of fertility sparing treatments, case-control and retrospective case series suggest that trachelectomy is safe as long as the tumor diameter does not exceed 2 cm. Recently, both a RCT and 2 case-control studies showed a survival benefit for open surgery compared to minimally invasive surgery, whereas many previous case-control and retrospective case series on this subject did not show impaired oncological safety. In a case-control study the survival benefit for open surgery was restricted to the group of patients with a tumor diameter more than 2 cm. Although modifications of the traditional open RH seem safe for tumors with a diameter less than 2 cm, ongoing prospective RCTs and observational studies should give the final answer.