Aim: To investigate prognostic factors and complications after radical hysterectomy followed by postoperative radiotherapy for carcinoma of the uterine cervix.
Patients and methods: One hundred twenty-eight patients with T1b-2b carcinoma of the uterine cervix following radical hysterectomy with bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and postoperative radiation therapy were reviewed. Pathologic and treatment variables were assessed by multivariate analysis for local recurrence, distant metastases and cause specific survival.
Results: The number of positive nodes (PN) in the pelvis was the strongest predictor of pelvic recurrence and distant metastases. These 2 failure patterns independently affect the cause specific survival. The 5-year cumulative local and distant failure were PN(0): 2% and 12%, PN(1-2): 23% and 25%, PN(2 <): 32% and 57%, respectively (p = 0.0029 and p = 0.0051). The 5-year cause specific survival rates were PN(0): 90%, PN(1-2): 59% and PN(2 <): 42% (p = 0.0001). The most common complication was lymphedema of the foot experienced by one-half of the patients (5-year: 42%, 10-year: 49%).
Conclusion: These results suggest that patients with pathologic T1b-T2b cervix cancer with pelvic lymph node metastases are at high risk of recurrence or metastases after radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy and postoperative irradiation.