Conservative Treatment of Stage IA1 Cervical Carcinoma Without Lymphovascular Space Invasion: A 20-year Retrospective Study in Brazil

Purpose: To evaluate recurrence rates and risk factors among women with stage IA1 cervical cancer without lymph vascular space invasion managed conservatively.Methods: retrospective review of women with stage IA1 squamous cervical cancer who underwent cold knife cone or loop electrosurgical excision procedure, between 1994 and 2015, at a gynecologic oncology center in Southern Brazil. Age at diagnosis, pre-conization findings, conization method, margin status, residual disease, recurrence and survival rates were collected and analyzed.Results: 26 women diagnosed with stage IA1 squamous cervical cancer without lymphovascular space invasion underwent conservative management and had at least 12 months follow-up. The mean follow-up was 44.6 months. The mean age at diagnosis was 40.9 years. Median first intercourse occurred at age 16 years, 11.5% were nulliparous and 30.8% were current or past tobacco smokers. There was one Human immunodeficiency virus positive patient diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 at 30 months after surgery. However, there were no patients diagnosed with recurrent invasive cervical cancer and there were no deaths due to cervical cancer or other causes in the cohort.Conclusion: Excellent outcomes were noted in women with stage IA1 cervical cancer without lymphovascular space invasion and with negative margins who were managed conservatively, even in a developing country.

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate recurrence rates and risk factors among women with stage IA1 cervical cancer without lymph vascular space invasion managed conservatively. The results showed that there were no cases of recurrent invasive cervical cancer or deaths due to cervical cancer in the cohort of 26 patients who underwent conservative management.