Improved Prognostic Stratification with the FIGO 2023 Staging System in Endometrial Cancer: Real-World Validation in 2969 Patients.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of the 2023 FIGO staging revision on stage distribution, survival outcomes, and prognostic performance in endometrial cancer compared to the 2009 system.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study analyzed 2969 patients with FIGO 2009 stage I-III endometrial cancer diagnosed at Samsung Medical Center (1994-2023). Patients were reclassified per the 2023 FIGO system. Stage migration, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Prognostic performance was compared using the Akaike information criterion (AIC), Bayesian information criterion (BIC), concordance index (C-index), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).

RESULTS

Stage migration occurred in 20.2% of patients, with 98.3% involving upstaging from FIGO 2009 stage I, largely due to the inclusion of aggressive histology, p53 abnormality, and substantial lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI). The proportion of stage I tumors decreased from 81.5% to 65.2%, while stage II increased to 21.9%, including 14.8% newly classified as stage IIC. Patients remaining in stage I showed favorable outcomes (5-year PFS: 95.3%, OS: 98.5%), whereas those upstaged-especially to stage IIC-had significantly worse outcomes (5-year PFS: 76.5%, OS: 83.1%). Tumors with p53 abnormalities had poorer survival (PFS: 70.8%, OS: 76.6%). The 2023 FIGO system outperformed the 2009 system in prognostic discrimination across all metrics.

CONCLUSIONS

The FIGO 2023 staging revision improves prognostic accuracy in endometrial cancer by integrating histopathologic and molecular risk factors. These refinements enhance risk stratification and may support more individualized treatment strategies.