Can primary recurrences in surgical stage I-II uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC) patients be salvaged?

Abstract

e16503 Background: There is an absence of data in the literature on salvage rates for vaginal, pelvic, and extra-pelvic recurrences for early-stage UPSC patients (pts). The purpose of this study is to determine whether primary recurrences can be salvaged with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Methods: A retrospective, multi-institution study of pts with stage I-II UPSC diagnosed from 1993–2006. All pts underwent comprehensive surgical staging. Postoperative treatment included either observation (OBS), radiotherapy (RT: brachytherapy, pelvic, abdominal or combo) or ≥ 3 cycles carboplatin/paclitaxel (CT) alone or with RT (CT+RT). Results: We identified 197 stage I-II pts; 44/197 (22.3%) experienced a primary recurrence during a median follow-up of 35 months. Patterns of recurrence analysis revealed that 17 (38.6%) were vaginal/pelvic (V/P) and 27 (61.4%) were extra-pelvic (EP). Multi-site relapses occurred in 13/44 (30%). Pts initially treated with adjuvant CT±RT (n = 108) had a significantly decreased risk of primary recurrence (9.9%) when compared to those patients treated with RT alone (n = 45; 37%) or OBS (n = 43; 35%; p < 0.001). There were no distinguishing risk factors for development of V/P versus EP recurrence. Median time to recurrence after diagnosis was 16 months. The majority of pts (86%) were not salvaged by second line therapy, with a median time from recurrence to death of 8.9 months. However, more pts with isolated vaginal recurrences (5/12 or 42%) were salvaged when compared to those with pelvic or EP recurrences (1/32 or 3.1%; p = 0.004). The 5 pts who are NED after vaginal relapse were treated with CT±RT (n = 3) or RT (n = 2); 80% had not received prior treatment and 20% had received prior CT. To date, more pts with EP recurrence are dead of disease (23/27) than with V/P recurrences (7/17; p = 0.003). Conclusions: Stage I-II USPC pts are more likely to experience an extra-pelvic than vaginal/pelvic primary recurrence, are unlikely to be salvaged and will have a short interval from recurrence to death. The exception is in those with isolated vaginal recurrence, who may be salvaged in select cases. The current best strategy to avoid primary recurrences in this setting is an initial staging surgery followed by adjuvant carboplatin/paclitaxel. No significant financial relationships to disclose.