Incidence, significance, and follow-up of para-aortic lymph node metastases in late invasive carcinoma of the cervix.

One hundred and four patients with Stages II and III of cervical carcinoma underwent para-aortic node biopsies. Of these, 12.5 per cent of patients with Stage IIA, 14.9 per cent of patients with Stage IIB, and 38.4 per cent of patients with Stage III carcinoma of the cervix had positive para-aortic nodes. They subsequently recieve 6,000 rads to the para-aortic area. The radiotherapy complication rate was high. Within four years, 50 per cent of the patients with positive para-aortic nodes had other distant metastases. The two- and four-year follow-up is presented. Only one of 13 patients with positive para-aortic nodes was alive at the end of four years.