Surgical, oncologic, and obstetric outcomes of radical trachelectomy in early-stage cervical cancer: results from a retrospective cohort study at Brazil National Cancer Institute.

Abstract

to analyze oncological, obstetrical, and surgical results of young early-stage cervical cancer patients who underwent radical trachelectomy (RT) surgery and wished to maintain their fertility. a retrospective cohort study was carried out concerning cases attended at the Brazilian National Cancer Institute Gynecology Oncology Service. Patients who underwent RT between January 2005 and January 2021 were included. A total of 32 patients with median age of 32 years old, 62.5% of whom were nulliparous, were assessed. Concerning cancer type, 65.6% squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cases, 31.2% adenocarcinoma cases and 3.1% adenosquamous carcinoma cases were verified. Stage IA2 was evidenced in 12.5% of the patients and stage IB < 4cm in 87.5%. Regarding surgical approaches, 68.25% of the patients underwent vaginal RT (VRT), 18.75%, abdominal RT (ART), 9.3%, the robotic radical trachelectomy (RORT) and 3.1%, video laparoscopy radical trachelectomy (VLRT). The median number of removed lymph nodes was 14, with only two detected as positive. Two cases of positive surgical margins were noted. A total of 3.1% intraoperative and 31.25% postoperative complications were observed, with cervical stenosis being the most common. The recurrence rate of the study was 3.1%, with a median follow-up time of 87 months, where 3.1% deaths occurred. The pregnancy rate of the study was 17.85% (5/28), with 54.5% evolving to live births and 45.5% evolving to abortion. Radical trachelectomy is a feasible procedure presenting good oncological results and acceptable pregnancy rates.