Treatment results in women with clinical stage I and pathologic stage II endometrial carcinoma

The aim of this study is to report survival and results of therapy and possible prognostic factors in women with pathologic stage II endometrial carcinoma. Forty-two patients with pathologic stage II endometrial carcinoma were treated at the department of Radiation Oncology of the Medisch Spectrum Twente between 1987 and 1998. All patients received external radiotherapy following standard surgical procedures and no adjuvant systemic therapy was given. From the 42 patients 21 had a pathologic stage IIA and 21 stage IIB. The median follow-up was 62 months. The overall recurrence rate was 21.5% (9/42). Seven patients had distant metastasis, of which three also had locoregional recurrence, vaginal vault and/or pelvic. The presence of myometrial invasion (> ½) and/or lymph-angioinvasion showed a significant relation with distant metastasis (P = 0.017). Stage IIB showed more recurrences, 33% (7/21). There was a significant different 5-year disease specific survival for stage IIA and IIB, respectively, 95% and 74% (P = 0.0311). Patients with a differentiation grade 3 and stage IIB showed a significantly poorer (P = 0.003) 5-year survival of 48.6% (P = 0.003). Results obtained in the present series of patients are in accordance with the literature. The present treatment policy seems justified, except for patients with pathologic stage IIB and grade 3, in which a more aggressive treatment should be considered.