Clinical Investigations
Lack of effect of tumor size on the prognosis of carcinoma of the uterine cervix stage IB and IIA treated with preoperative irradiation and surgery

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0360-3016(99)00217-5Get rights and content

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the prognostic significance of cervical tumor size in patients with Stages Ib and IIa carcinoma of the cervix treated with preoperative irradiation and radical or conservative hysterectomy.

Methods and Materials: This study is a retrospective analysis of 177 patients. One hundred forty-one patients had Stage Ib and 36 patients had Stage IIa carcinoma of the cervix. All patients were treated with preoperative irradiation and surgery. Radiation therapy consisted of external pelvic irradiation and intracavitary brachytherapy; total doses ranged from 30 to 60 Gy to the pelvic sidewall and 60 to 70 Gy to point A. Surgery consisting of radical hysterectomy and lymph node dissection or a conservative hysterectomy and lymph node dissection was performed 4 to 6 weeks after completion of irradiation.

Results: The 5-year progression-free survivals were 80% for Stage Ib and 63% for Stage IIa (p = 0.03). The 5-year cumulative pelvic failure rates for Stage Ib were 16% for tumors <3 cm and 9% for tumors >3 cm (p = 0.90). The 5-year cumulative pelvic failure rates for Stage IIa were 22% for tumors <3 cm and 22% for tumors >3 cm (p = 0.75). The corresponding cumulative distant metastasis failure rates at 5 years for Stage Ib were 21% for tumors <3 cm and 21% for tumors >3 cm (p = 0.60). For patients with Stage IIa disease, the 5-year cumulative distant metastasis rates were 33% for tumors <3 cm and 36% for tumors >3 cm (p = 0.70). A multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate prognostic factors for the endpoint of progression-free survival. The variables that were analyzed were patient age, tumor histology, tumor size, clinical stage, point A and pelvic lymph node irradiation dose, and cervical tumor status and pelvic lymph node status at the time of hysterectomy. The variables that were found to be of independent significance for progression-free survival by multivariate analysis were pelvic lymph node irradiation dose (p <0.001), pelvic lymph node status at the time of hysterectomy (p = 0.01), and clinical stage (p = 0.02). Cervical tumor size at the time of diagnosis and the presence of tumor cells in the cervix in the hysterectomy specimen was not an independent prognostic factor by multivariate analysis. The overall severe complication rate was 11% for all patients.

Conclusions: For this population of patients treated with preoperative irradiation and surgery, pelvic lymph node status at the time of hysterectomy and the preoperative irradiation dose to the pelvic lymph nodes are independent predictors of progression-free survival and the development of distant metastasis. The pretreatment cervical tumor size is of less importance for predicting progression-free survival and the development of distant metastasis but clinical stage is an important prognostic variable. These results are in contrast with those of surgery or irradiation alone, in which primary tumor size is a critical prognostic factor for all outcome parameters.

Introduction

Results of therapy for patients with carcinoma of the uterine cervix are most often reported by clinical stage of the tumor. However, in patients treated with radical surgery or irradiation alone size of the primary cervical lesion is of prognostic significance irrespective of the clinical stage of the tumor 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Additionally, the status of the pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes is of prognostic significance for survival (6).

The results of radiation therapy alone for patients with clinical Stages Ib and IIa carcinoma of the cervix from the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (7) indicate that the 5-year progression-free survivals for patients with clinical Stage Ib disease are 100% for tumors <1 cm, 93% for 1 to 2 cm, 98% for 2 to 3 cm, 83% for 3 to 4 cm, and 76% for lesions >4 cm. The findings were similar for patients with clinical stage IIa cancer. The 5-year progression-free survivals are 100% for tumors <1 cm, 100% for 1 to 2 cm, 75% for 2 to 3 cm, 66% for 3 to 4 cm, and 61% for >4 cm. Perez et al. (8) reported that for Stage IIb, the pelvic failure rate was 23% for tumors less than 5 cm and 34% for tumors greater than 5 cm. In Stage III, unilateral parametrial involvement was associated with a 32% pelvic failure rate versus 50% for bilateral parametrial extensions. The pelvic lymph node status was not usually histologically confirmed by fine needle aspiration for these patients but lymphangiography was frequently performed. None of the patients underwent surgical staging.

Similar results are reported for patients treated with a radical hysterectomy and lymph node dissection. Surgical results can also be correlated to tumor size. Piver and Chung (5) reported the 5-year survivals for women treated with a radical hysterectomy and lymph node dissection. The survivals for women with Stage Ib tumors were 84% for tumors <1 cm, 90% for 2 to 3 cm, 66% for 4 to 5 cm, and 60% for tumors >6 cm. For those patients with Stage IIa disease the survivals are 82% for tumors <1 cm, 72% for 2 to 3 cm, 38% for 4 to 5 cm, and 41% for >6 cm. Evaluation of survival by pelvic lymph node status indicated that the patients with Stage Ib disease and negative lymph nodes had a 91% survival. Survival for those with positive lymph nodes ranges from 56% to 75% depending on the number of positive lymph nodes. Patients with Stage IIa disease and negative lymph nodes had a 67% survival compared to 17 to 33% for those with positive lymph nodes.

Preoperative irradiation and surgery has been used to treat patients with bulky and barrel-shaped cervical lesions greater than 5 to 6 cm in diameter. However, this current study is a retrospective analysis of the effect of tumor size for patients with Stages Ib and IIa cervical cancer treated with a range of doses of radiation therapy followed by surgery as part of two prospective studies to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of these two treatment modalities 9, 10. Therefore, the patient population for this current study included both patients with small, nonbulky cervical cancers and patients with large, barrel-shaped tumors (greater than 5 to 6 cm).

The present report analyzes the results of patients treated with a combination of irradiation and surgery for invasive carcinoma of the cervix. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the prognostic significance of cervical tumor size in patients with Stages Ib and IIa carcinoma of the cervix treated with preoperative irradiation and radical or conservative hysterectomy.

Section snippets

Methods and materials

This study includes 177 patients with the diagnosis of Stages Ib and IIa carcinoma of the uterine cervix who were treated with preoperative irradiation and surgery at Washington University Medical Center, St. Louis, Missouri. Therapy was initiated between 1959 and 1989, inclusive. All patients have been followed for a minimum of 5 years; median follow-up was 11 years and maximum 23 years. Cervical biopsies were obtained in all patients. Patients were evaluated by medical history and a physical

Results

The progression-free survivals for all patients by clinical stage are shown in Fig. 1; the 5- and 10-year survivals were 80% and 78% for Stage Ib and 63% and 57% for Stage IIa (p = 0.03). Figure 2 shows that the 5- and 10-year cumulative pelvic failure estimates for patients with Stage Ib disease and tumors less than 3 cm in diameter were 16%. The 5- and 10-year rates were 9% and 13% for patients with Stage Ib disease and tumors greater than 3 cm in diameter. There was no statistically

Discussion

It is generally accepted that the outcome of patients with carcinoma of the uterine cervix is affected by several tumor-related variables, which include tumor size, histology, and clinical stage. Other known prognostic factors that are tumor-related, but generally not known or accurately evaluated in patients undergoing radiotherapy for their disease, are lymph–vascular space invasion, lymph node involvement, and number of lymph nodes that are involved with tumor. Because there are inherent

Conclusion

The data from this study demonstrate that if the prognostic significance of primary tumor size is eliminated, and clinical stage is accounted for, the most significant prognostic factors for progression-free survival and the development of distant metastasis are the status of the lymph nodes at the time of surgery and the preoperative pelvic lymph node irradiation dose. The implication of this finding is that when patients are treated with radiation therapy alone, a sufficient irradiation dose

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