The role of radiation therapy in the treatment of adenocarcinoma of the corpus uteri stage I. A ten year experience (1970-1979).

A series of 93 cases of endometrial adenocarcinoma stage I, of which 87 were treated by surgery in combination with pre- or postoperative irradiation, is analysed with respect to recurrence rate, survival and effect of preoperative irradiation on myometrial invasion. According to the authors, the treatment of choice remains a combination of surgery and radiation therapy in order to control the primary tumor and prevent vaginal recurrence. The authors recommend uterovaginal intracavitary irradiation followed by total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with or without lymphadenectomy, and with adjunctive postoperative external irradiation reserved for the rare cases at high risk for locoregional failure (persistence of deep myometrial invasion, lymph node involvement).