Laparoscopy with or without robotic assistance does not negatively impact long-term oncologic outcomes in patients with uterine serous carcinoma

Objectives. We sought to compare outcomes between minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and laparotomy in patients with clinical stage I uterine serous carcinoma (USC). Methods. Patients who underwent surgery for newly diagnosed USC between 11/1/1993 and 12/31/2017 were retrospectively identified and assigned to either the MIS cohort or the laparotomy cohort. Patients with conversion to laparotomy were analyzed with the MIS cohort. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests were used to compare categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate survival and compared using the log-rank test. Results. In total, 391 patients met inclusion criteria; 242 underwent MIS (35% non-robotic and 65% robotic-assisted laparoscopies) and 149 underwent laparotomy. Age, BMI, stage, and washings status did not differ between cohorts. Patients who underwent MIS were less likely to have lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI; 35.1% vs 48.3%), had fewer nodes removed (median, 9 vs 15), and lower rates of paraaortic nodal dissection (44.6% vs 65.1%). Rates of adjuvant therapy did not differ between cohorts. Median follow-up timeswere 63.0 months (MIS cohort) vs 71.0 months (laparotomy cohort; P=.04). Five-year PFS rates were 58.7% (MIS) vs 59.8% (laparotomy; P =.1). Five-year OS rates were 65.2% (MIS) compared to 63.5% (laparotomy; P =.2). On multivariable analysis, higher stage, deep myometrial invasion, and positive washings were associated with decreased PFS. Age >= 65 years, higher stage, LVSI, and positive washings were associated with shorter OS. Conclusions. MIS does not compromise outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed USC and should be offered to these patients to minimize surgical morbidity. (c) 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Comparison between minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and laparotomy in patients with stage I uterine serous carcinoma (USC) showed no difference in outcomes, and MIS can reduce surgical morbidity.