Less versus more radical surgery in stage IB1 cervical cancer: A population-based study of long-term survival

Background. Standard surgical treatment for women with stage IB1 cervical cancer consists of radical hysterectomy. This study assesses survival outcomes of those treated with less radical surgery (LRS; conization, trachelectomy, simple hysterectomy) compared to more radical surgery (MRS; modified radical, radical hysterectomy). Methods. Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database, we identified women <45 years with FIGO stage IB1 cervical cancer diagnosed from 1/1998 to 12/2012. Only those who underwent lymph node (LN) assessment were analyzed. Disease-specific survivals (DSSs) of LRS were compared with those of MRS. Results. Of 2571 patients, 807 underwent LRS and 1764 underwent MRS, all with LN assessment. For LRS vs. MRS, 28% vs. 23% were diagnosed with adenocarcinoma (p = 0.024), 31% vs. 39% had G3 disease (p < 0.001), 40% vs. 45% had tumor size >2 cm (p < 0.001), and 27% vs. 29% received adjuvant radiation therapy (p = 0.005). Median follow-up was 79 months (range, 0-179). Ten-year DSS for LRS vs. MRS was 93.5% vs. 92.3% (p = 0.511). There was no difference in 10-year DSS when stratified by tumor size <= 2 cm (LRS 95.1% vs. MRS 95.6%, p = 0.80) or > 2 cm (LRS 90.1% vs. MRS 88.2%, p = 0.48). Factors independently associated with increased risk of death included adenosquamous histology (HR 2.37), G3 disease (HR 2.86), tumors >2 cm (HR 1.82), and LN positivity (HR 2.42). Compared to MRS, LRS was not associated with a higher risk of death. Conclusions. In a select group of young women with stage IB1 cervical cancer, LRS compared to MRS does not appear to compromise DSS. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.