Lymphadenectomy in the management of endometrial carcinoma stage I and II. Retrospective study of 155 cases.

In our institution endometrial carcinomas Stage I and II were treated with initial uterovaginal brachytherapy 60 Gy followed by modified radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy. We have studied the results in order to assess the value of lymphadenectomy in the treatment strategy. Between 1976 and 1986, 155 patients were treated (107 Stage I, 48 Stage II mean age 60.2 years). Twenty-six patients also received postoperative pelvic external beam irradiation on account of lymph node involvement and/or deep tumour invasion into the myometrium. Fourteen patients (9%) had lymph node involvement. External iliac lymph nodes were involved in 78.5% of these cases. Lymph node involvement rate was higher for stage II, grade 3 tumours and when there was deep tumour invasion of the myometrium. The rate of local (pelvic) treatment failure was 12% for node-negative patients and 36% for node-positive patients and the 5-year actuarial survival rates for the two groups were 83% and 41% respectively. As a consequence of our interpretation of the findings and influenced by the high complication rate which we attribute to lymphadenectomy and the information given by other prognostic indicators, we have changed to a policy of carrying out pelvic external radiotherapy for all Stage II, grade 2 or 3 cases and those with deep myometrial invasion. Lymphadenectomy is not performed in these cases. For patients with Stage I grade 1 tumours without deep tumour invasion only external iliac node sampling is performed. If this shows tumour, external irradiation is given in addition to vaginal vault brachytherapy.