Radical hysterectomy with lymphadenectomy for treatment of early stage cervical cancer: clinical experience of 278 cases.

This study includes 278 cases of stage I and II cervical cancer subjected to radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy. The clinical experience of 278 cases is reviewed. Of these cases, 215 were in stage I, and 63 were in stage II. Intraoperative complications occurred at a rate of 9.7% and involved injuries to the great vessels, lower urinary tract, nerves, and rectum. Operative mortality was found to be 0.3%. Postoperative complications were observed in 20.1% of patients. Fistulae were observed in 8 (2.8%) patients. The overall survival rate was 83.8%. The 5-year survival rates for stages IA, IB, IIA, and IIB were 100.0%, 87.9%, 71.0%, and 64.0%, respectively. Pelvic lymph node metastases varied from 0% for stage IA to 40.0% for stage IIB and paraaortic involvement varied from 0% for stage IA to 50.0% for stage IIB. Radical surgery seems to be the treatment of choice for patients with early invasive cervical cancer.