Laparoscopy in the treatment of cancer of the corpus uteri in patients with metabolic syndrome. A case report

Abstract

Today, the common term metabolic syndrome encompasses visceral (abdominal) obesity, glucose intolerance, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and dyslipidemia. In Europe, the rate of obesity mong the women ranges from 6 to 36 %. In the USA, 65 % of the adult population is overweight and 30 % is obese. High estrogen production in adipose tissue in patients with obesity has been established to increase the risk of cancer of the corpus uteri (CCU) by 4 times as compared to that in normal weight female patients. Furthermore, obese patients are at increased risk for DM that is also a risk factor for CCU. A rise in the number of obese patients leads to the population redistribution of gynecological cancer. The increasing number of patients with gynecological cancer is overweight. This patient group has an increased risk from surgery and anesthesia, a higher incidence of postoperative complications, and delayed recovery. Laparotomy increases the duration of hospital stay and the rate of wound complications. The frequency of urologic injuries in obese patients varies between 2 and 4 %. In this patient category, the rate of damage to the large vessels or bowels has also statistically significant differences. The literature highlights a number of complications specific to patients with obesity: trocar damage to anterior abdominal wall vessels, particularly to the inferior epigastric artery, urinary bladder, as well as trocar site hernia. The authors describe their experience in treating CCU patients with metabolic syndrome at the Department of Surgery for Female Reproductive System Tumors, N. N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center. They demonstrate that laparoscopic extirpation of the uterus and its appendages can be performed in patients with third-degree obesity (weighing 174 kg) in Stage I CCU. It should be noted that this weight was previously regarded as an absolute contraindication to surgical treatment. Today, the active introduction of laparoscopic techniques into gynecological oncology and the improvement of anesthetic maintenance make it possible to virtually level off a contraindication to surgery, such as obesity, and to transfer it to a class of indications. An examination algorithm and the clinical features of the disease are given.