Surgical Treatment Of Cervical Carcinoma Research Articles

The Diagnosis, Treatment, and Aftercare of Cervical Carcinoma.

Approximately 4380 cases of cervical carcinoma were diagnosed in Germany in 2016. In women who had not participated in early detection programs, cervical carcinoma was usually already in an advanced stage at the time of diagnosis. Certified structures for care in conformity with the existing guidelines are available. The new German clinical practice guideline was revised with the participation of 50 medical societies under the expert guidance of the Guideline Program in Oncology, which includes the German Association of the Scientific Medical Societies (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften, AWMF). A systematic literature review was conducted. Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were considered. The histologic tumor stage and lymph-node stage are essential determinants of the treatment strategy. The main innovation regarding surgical treatment is the revival of open hysterectomy (overall survival [minimally invasive vs open hysterectomy]: 94.04% vs 99.4%; hazard ratio [HR]: 6.00; 95% confidence interval [1.77; 20.30]). In addition, for tumors measuring 2 cm or less, sentinel node biopsy is recommended rather than radical pelvic lymphadenectomy. MRI-guided brachytherapy is an oblig atory component of radiochemotherapy (overall survival [radiochemotherapy with vs without brachytherapy]: 58.2% vs 46.2%, p<0.001). The standard palliative treatment consists of bevacizumab combined with a platinum-containing agent (overall survival: HR: 0.77 [0.62; 0.95]; p = 0.007). Despite the introduction of new treatments, the outcome of patients with advanced cervical carcinoma has not much improved. In the surgical treatment of cervical carcinoma, the open approach is now favored. The sentinel node biopsy technique has become well established for the surgical staging of small tumors. Controlled trials are needed so that the outcome of women with cervical carcinoma, particularly in its advanced and metastatic stages, can be improved.

The History of Radical Hysterectomy

Carcinoma of the uterine cervix provides one of the few examples in medical history of a method of treatment that was once discarded by most of the medical profession and was later reclaimed. In addition, radical hysterectomy (RH) competed with radical vaginal hysterectomy during the early history of RH. The primitive form of RH was first described by Clark and Reis in 1895. Radical hysterectomy was then described in detail and performed by Wertheim, more than 100 years ago. Afterward, RH was abandoned for the treatment of carcinomas because of the use of radiotherapy; however, RH was then modified and repopularized by Meigs in the 1950s. The surgical principles of this operation have undergone only minor modifications throughout the years and remained the basis of the surgical approach used by gynecologic oncologists today. The history of the treatment of cervical carcinoma and the history of RH are unique in medicine. Because of the efforts of the surgeons and scientists, cervical carcinoma has become rarer, and its mortality rate has decreased, although it is still common in undeveloped countries. The history of the treatment of cervical carcinoma includes 3 Nobel Prize winners and 1 Nobel Prize nominee. We therefore think that knowledge of the historical development of this filed will inspire and contribute to the education of future generations. In this article, the historical development of the surgical treatment of cervical carcinoma, the contributors to this surgical procedure, and the pioneers of the surgical and medical treatment of cervical carcinoma are summarized; pictures and illustrations are also provided. Our aim was to inform the gynecologic oncology community about the pioneers that devoted their professional lives to develop of these techniques.

Do we need a new classification for radical hysterectomy? Insights in surgical anatomy and local tumor spread from human embryology

Objective. Current surgical treatment of cervical carcinoma is based on the assumption of undirected intra- and transcervical local tumor propagation and is executed by tailored excision of the paracervical tissues. We have recently demonstrated that cervical carcinoma spreads for extended phases during its malignant progression within the permissive compartment of the Müllerian morphogenetic unit (Lancet Oncol 2005;6:751–56) and proposed Müllerian compartment resection as the new principle for surgical treatment of cervical cancer. Do we need a new classification of radical hysterectomy? Methods. The therapeutic index of the surgical treatment of cervical carcinoma FIGO stages IB1–IIB by extirpation of the Müllerian compartment through total mesometrial resection (TMMR) without adjuvant radiation is evaluated by an ongoing controlled prospective trial at the University of Leipzig. Results. From 7/1998 to 12/2006, 163 patients with cervical carcinoma, FIGO stages IB1 ( n = 94), IB2 ( n = 21), IIA ( n = 14) and IIB ( n = 34) have been treated with TMMR and nerve-sparing therapeutic lymph node dissection. Twenty-five patients received (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy. No patient underwent adjuvant radiotherapy although 95 patients (58%) would have needed this additional modality in case of conventional radical hysterectomy because of their high-risk histopathological tumor features. At a median follow-up time of 45 months (3–104 months), recurrence-free and disease-specific overall survival is 93% and 96%. Maximum treatment-related morbidity according to the Franco-Italian score has been grade 2 in 12 patients (8%). Conclusions. The developmental view of local tumor spread and surgical anatomy holds a great promise for improving the therapeutic index of surgical cervical cancer therapy and challenges both the classification of radical hysterectomy based on tailored paracervical resection and the indication for adjuvant radiation.

664 Recording of morbidity

Current surgical treatment of cervical carcinoma is based on the assumption of undirected intra- and transcervical local tumor propagation and is executed by tailored excision of the paracervical tissues. We have recently demonstrated that cervical carcinoma spreads for extended phases during its malignant progression within the permissive compartment of the Müllerian morphogenetic unit (Lancet Oncol 2005;6:751–56) and proposed Müllerian compartment resection as the new principle for surgical treatment of cervical cancer. Do we need a new classification of radical hysterectomy?The therapeutic index of the surgical treatment of cervical carcinoma FIGO stages IB1–IIB by extirpation of the Müllerian compartment through total mesometrial resection (TMMR) without adjuvant radiation is evaluated by an ongoing controlled prospective trial at the University of Leipzig.From 7/1998 to 12/2006, 163 patients with cervical carcinoma, FIGO stages IB1 (n = 94), IB2 (n = 21), IIA (n = 14) and IIB (n = 34) have been treated with TMMR and nerve-sparing therapeutic lymph node dissection. Twenty-five patients received (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy. No patient underwent adjuvant radiotherapy although 95 patients (58%) would have needed this additional modality in case of conventional radical hysterectomy because of their high-risk histopathological tumor features. At a median follow-up time of 45 months (3–104 months), recurrence-free and disease-specific overall survival is 93% and 96%. Maximum treatment-related morbidity according to the Franco-Italian score has been grade 2 in 12 patients (8%).The developmental view of local tumor spread and surgical anatomy holds a great promise for improving the therapeutic index of surgical cervical cancer therapy and challenges both the classification of radical hysterectomy based on tailored paracervical resection and the indication for adjuvant radiation.

Class II versus Class III Radical Hysterectomy in Stage IB–IIA Cervical Cancer: A Prospective Randomized Study

Objective. The objective of this study was to determine the role of the extent of the radicality in the treatment of stage IB–IIA cervical carcinoma with respect to survival, pattern of relapse, and morbidity.Methods. Two-hundred forty-three patients with cervical carcinoma (FIGO stages IB and IIa) were enrolled in a prospective randomized study comparing two types of radical hysterectomy (Piver–Rutledge–Smith class II and class III) between April 1987 and December 1993, and 238 are evaluable. Disease-free survival, overall survival, pattern of recurrences, and morbidity were the endpoints of this study.Results. Mean operative time was significantly (P = 0.05) shorter in the group of patients undergoing class II hysterectomy (135 min vs 180 min), whereas mean blood loss (530 ml vs 580 ml) and number of patients requiring transfusions (35% vs 43%) were similar in the two arms of treatment. Complications unrelated to the extent of the surgical dissection and mean postoperative stay were similar in the two arms of treatment. Late morbidity was significantly lower in patients in the class II arm (especially urologic morbidity, 13% vs 28%). Postoperative radiotherapy was administered to 64 patients (54%) in class II and to 65 patients (55%) in the class III arm. Recurrence rate (24% class II vs 26% class III) and number of patients dead of disease (18% class II vs 20% class III) were not significantly different in the two groups of treatment. Overall 5-year survival was 81 and 77% and disease-free survival was 75 and 73%, respectively. Multivariate analysis confirms that survival does not depend on the type of operation.Conclusions. Class II and class III radical hysterectomies are equally effective in surgical treatment of cervical carcinoma, but the former is associated with a lesser degree of late complications.

Early cervical carcinoma

BACKGROUND Although parametrectomy is the most difficult step in the surgical treatment of cervical carcinoma and is the main cause of postoperative complications, little attention has been given to the patterns of parametrial spread. METHODS Sixty-nine patients with previously untreated cervical carcinoma (Fédération Internationale de Gynécologie et d'Obstétrique [FIGO] Stage IB1, 49 patients [71%]; Stage IB2, 8 patients [12%]; and Stage IIA, 12 patients [17%]; squamous, 59 patients [86%]; and adenocarcinoma, 10 patients [14%]) underwent radical hysterectomy and pelvic ± aortic lymphadenectomy. Hysterectomy specimens were processed with the giant section technique. To obtain a thorough three-dimensional assessment of the paracervical tissue, both the superficial and deep layers of the cervicovesical ligament (anterior parametrium) and the uterosacral ligament (posterior parametrium) were separated from the uterus and submitted for pathologic evaluation. After resection of the lateral parametrium with hemoclips, the lympho-fatty tissue remaining around the pudendal vessels was removed carefully and referred to as “the distal part of the lateral parametrium.” RESULTS When analyzing all the parametria, lymph nodes were present in 64 patients (93%). Clinically undetected parametrial involvement was found by pathologic examination in 15 Stage IB1 patients (31%), 5 Stage IB2 patients (63%), and 7 Stage IIA patients (58%). Metastases were found in the cardinal, cervicovesical, and sacrouterine ligaments and principally were comprised of lymph node and vascular space invasion. Twenty-five patients (36%) had pelvic lymph node metastases whereas concomitant parametrial involvement was observed in all patients. The overall 5-year survival was 91%, being higher for parametria and lymph node negative patients (100%) than for those with lymph node and/or parametrial metastases (78%). CONCLUSIONS A three-dimensional pathologic assessment showed that subclinical parametrial spreading of the so-called “early” tumors (Stage IB-IIA) occurred in approximately 30–60% of these patients, and metastasis to the pelvic lymph nodes always was associated with parametrial disease. A better understanding of the patterns of parametrial diffusion will improve knowledge of the natural history of cervical carcinoma and in the future may influence the treatment of these patients. Furthermore, pathologic assessment of cervical carcinoma should be modified to evaluate correctly the parametrial status of each patient. The current routine pathologic evaluation of the parametria makes it very difficult to detect lymph node metastases and tumor emboli. Cancer 2000;88:2267–74. © 2000 American Cancer Society.

Early cervical carcinoma

Although parametrectomy is the most difficult step in the surgical treatment of cervical carcinoma and is the main cause of postoperative complications, little attention has been given to the patterns of parametrial spread. Sixty-nine patients with previously untreated cervical carcinoma (Fédération Internationale de Gynécologie et d'Obstétrique [FIGO] Stage IB1, 49 patients [71%]; Stage IB2, 8 patients [12%]; and Stage IIA, 12 patients [17%]; squamous, 59 patients [86%]; and adenocarcinoma, 10 patients [14%]) underwent radical hysterectomy and pelvic +/- aortic lymphadenectomy. Hysterectomy specimens were processed with the giant section technique. To obtain a thorough three-dimensional assessment of the paracervical tissue, both the superficial and deep layers of the cervicovesical ligament (anterior parametrium) and the uterosacral ligament (posterior parametrium) were separated from the uterus and submitted for pathologic evaluation. After resection of the lateral parametrium with hemoclips, the lympho-fatty tissue remaining around the pudendal vessels was removed carefully and referred to as "the distal part of the lateral parametrium." When analyzing all the parametria, lymph nodes were present in 64 patients (93%). Clinically undetected parametrial involvement was found by pathologic examination in 15 Stage IB1 patients (31%), 5 Stage IB2 patients (63%), and 7 Stage IIA patients (58%). Metastases were found in the cardinal, cervicovesical, and sacrouterine ligaments and principally were comprised of lymph node and vascular space invasion. Twenty-five patients (36%) had pelvic lymph node metastases whereas concomitant parametrial involvement was observed in all patients. The overall 5-year survival was 91%, being higher for parametria and lymph node negative patients (100%) than for those with lymph node and/or parametrial metastases (78%). A three-dimensional pathologic assessment showed that subclinical parametrial spreading of the so-called "early" tumors (Stage IB-IIA) occurred in approximately 30-60% of these patients, and metastasis to the pelvic lymph nodes always was associated with parametrial disease. A better understanding of the patterns of parametrial diffusion will improve knowledge of the natural history of cervical carcinoma and in the future may influence the treatment of these patients. Furthermore, pathologic assessment of cervical carcinoma should be modified to evaluate correctly the parametrial status of each patient. The current routine pathologic evaluation of the parametria makes it very difficult to detect lymph node metastases and tumor emboli.

Ovarian Preservation in the Surgical Treatment of Cervical Carcinoma

Windbichler, Gudrun H.; Muller-Holzner, Elisabeth; Nicolussi-Leck, Gudrun; Meisel, Ulrike; Dapunt, Otto; Marth, Christian Author Information

Ovarian preservation in the surgical treatment of cervical carcinoma

Objectives: In the surgical treatment of cervical carcinoma the conservation of ovaries in premenopausal women is a common procedure. To date, however, there have been no controlled studies to prove that the risk of recurrence or death from disease is not elevated among women who do not undergo oophorectomy. Study Design: We performed a matched pairs analysis according to the tumor volume, comparing the outcomes of patients with in situ conservation of ≥1 ovary with those of control subjects who underwent bilateral oophorectomy. From among 658 patients, 150 pairs with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage I disease were matched. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were compared with the log rank test. Results: Among patients who retained their ovaries 5- and 10-year overall survival rates were 98% and 96%, respectively, versus 97% and 97% for the oophorectomy control group. The corresponding figures for progression-free survival were 95% and 94%, respectively, versus 97% and 93%. Outcomes were equal with sufficient power to detect a 10% difference. Three of 214 patients with conservation of ovaries (1.3%) subsequently required oophorectomy, all because of benign ovarian diseases. Conclusions: Our results confirm that ovarian conservation is safe in International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage I disease and that the occurrence of subsequent complications in ovaries retained in situ is rare. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999;180:963-9.)

Complications of surgical treatment of cervical carcinoma.

A total of 302 patients with stage Ib and IIa cervical carcinoma were submitted to radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy during the period from 1980 to 1994. The morbidity rate was 37.5% and the mortality rate 0.6%. The most common intraoperative complications were injuries to the great pelvic vessels and the most frequent postoperative complications involved the urinary tract. The leading causes of morbidity were urinary infection (20.8%), bladder dysfunction (9.2%) and ureteral fistulas (2.9%). Although the rate of complications was high, morbidity has been decreasing over the last five years. Thus, radical hysterectomy continues to be one of the methods for the treatment of early cervical carcinoma that presents an acceptable 5-year survival rate.

Tumor size and lymph node metastases in squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

Tumor size was accurately measured in 684 patients who had surgical treatment of cervical carcinoma after a small biopsy and received no preoperative radiotherapy. Frequency of lymph node metastases increased as five different tumor size parameters went up, depth of tumor invasion being of particular importance. When micrometastases, macrometastases, and tumor cell emboli were considered, a correlation was statistically verifiable for micrometastases and macrometastases. Such correlations could not be determined for tumor cell emboli. They are to be regarded as a random event.