Radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy for Stage IB carcinoma of the cervix: 21 years experience

From September 1971 through December 1982, 153 patients with Stage IB carcinoma of the cervix underwent radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy at two of the teaching hospitals of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Records were retrospectively analyzed and independent pathologic review was performed. All surgical procedures were performed by fellows or senior residents under the direct supervision of the gynecologic oncology staff of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center or the Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland. In this series, IB carcinoma was defined as squamous carcinoma clinically confined to the cervix with invasion greater than 5 mm from the basement membrane or any adenocarcinoma confined to the cervix. The average age of the patients was 38.3 years. The histologic types were squamous in 72%, adenocarcinoma in 16%, and adenosquamous in 10.5%. The mean operating time was 5 hr and 40 min with an average blood loss of 1800 cc. There were two ureterovaginal and two vesicovaginal fistulae for an overall fistula rate of 2.6%. Actuarial survival for these 153 patients is 84%. This extends the previous series of R. C. Park, W. E. Patow, R. E. Rogers, and E. A. Zimmerman, Obstet. Gynecol. 41, 117–122 (1973) of 122 cases collected from 1961 to September 1971 to 275 cases. In comparing the two time periods, no significant differences were found in operative technique or complications, but there was a change in the incidence of adenocarcinoma and mixed cell types and a difference in survival. A relatively higher incidence of more aggressive tumors may indicate the need for different therapeutic approaches in the future.