Carcinoma of the endometrium treated only by vaginal route




The gold standard treatment for endometrial cancer is surgery. Less invasive surgical procedures (e.g. vaginal surgery), provide equivalent cure rates and are preferred interventions for elderly women or women with significant co-morbidities with endometrial cancer stage I. A commonly referred limitation of vaginal surgery in endometrial carcinoma is the difficulty of carrying out lymphadenectomy when necessary. However, women elected for vaginal procedures are those who should not need lymphadenectomy because they are at low risk for lymph-node metastasis, and can therefore be treated by less invasive surgery with similar oncology outcomes to those women treated with abdominal surgery. Vaginal hysterectomy, therefore, has a definite place in the therapeutic armamentarium of the gynaecological oncologist. Although it is not recommend routinely or indiscriminately, its use adds flexibility to the management of selected women with stage I endometrial carcinoma, without affecting their oncologic outcomes.


Introduction


In 1988, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) formally established surgical staging for endometrial adenocarcinoma, including peritoneal cytology and lymph-node sampling of the pelvic and periaortic lymph nodes. In 2009, FIGO published an update of the staging classification of carcinoma of the endometrium ( Table 1 ).



Table 1

FIGO’s 2009 classification of carcinoma of the endometrium.











































Stage I Tumour confined to the corpus uteri
IA No or less than half myometrial invasion
IB Invasion equal to or more than half of the myometrium
Stage II Tumour invades cervical stroma, but does not extend beyond the uterus
Stage III Local, regional spread of the tumour, or both
IIIA Tumour invades the serosa of the corpus uteri, adnexae, or both
IIIB Vaginal, parametrial involvement, or both
IIIC Metastases to pelvic, para-aortic lymph nodes, or both
IIIC1 Positive pelvic nodes
IIIC2 Positive para-aortic lymph nodes with or without positive pelvic lymph nodes
Stage IV Tumour invades bladder, bowel mucosa, distant metastases, or all
IVA Tumour invasion of bladder, bowel mucosa, or both
IVB Distant metastases, including intra-abdominal metastases, inguinal lymph nodes, or both

Only gold members can continue reading. Log In or Register to continue

Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel

Nov 9, 2017 | Posted by in OBSTETRICS | Comments Off on Carcinoma of the endometrium treated only by vaginal route

Full access? Get Clinical Tree

Get Clinical Tree app for offline access