Endometrial carcinoma: stage I. A retrospective analysis of 262 patients.

From 1969 to 1977, 420 patients with endometrial carcinoma were observed and treated at the National Tumor Institute of Milan. Total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy were performed in 351. After careful clinical and pathologic review, 262 patients were classified as having stage I disease. Further treatment included post-operative radium therapy to the vaginal vault. There were 247 cases with adenocarcinoma, 10 with adenoacanthoma, and 5 with adenosquamous or clear cell carcinoma. Of 257 cases with adenocarcinoma or adenoacanthoma, 63 were grade 1, 161 grade 2, and 33 grade 3. Of the total series, only 41 cases had disease limited to the mucosal surface. The 5-year actuarial survival was 91.4% and the recurrence-free survival was 93.4%. The case material was evaluated according to the risk factors, and results were 1) premenopausal patients had a better prognosis (100% recurrence-free survival versus 92.8% for postmenopausal women, P = .003); 2) length of the uterine cavity was not a significant prognostic factor; 3) myometrial invasion alone was not prognostic but correlated with grade of tumor; 4) the grade of the tumor was an important determinant of recurrence (grade 1 98% recurrence-free survival, grade 2 95%, grade 3 79%). With the described therapy, vaginal recurrences were absent. The recurrences were distant in 20% and local with or without distant metastases in 80%.