Prognostic factors in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer treated with radical hysterectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy

The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of risk factors f or node metastases and to estimate survival in patients with cervical cance r, stages IB and LIA. In a retrospective study of 103 patients with cervica l cancer stages IB and IIA, all treated with radical hysterectomy and adjuv ant radiotherapy, we estimated survival curves according to different progn ostic parameters. Mean follow-up time was 97 months. A significant differen ce between clinical pre-operative assessment and histological determination of real extent of the disease was evidenced. Pelvic lymph node metastases (P = 0.0005) significantly correlated with survival. This study shows that only lymph node involvement is an independent prognostic factor. Stage acts through nodal status in its impact on survival. A surgical-pathological st aging in early stage cervical cancers is found to be more appropriate to co rrectly estimate patients' survival and prognosis.