Uterine serous carcinoma: a historic evaluation of therapy

Objective: Uterine serous carcinoma (USC) is an aggressive, histological subtype of endometrial cancer with a poor prognosis. This study evaluates the additional effect of staging surgery above total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (TAH + BSO) on the use of adjuvant therapy and subsequent survival outcomes in clinical early-stage USC patients. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study includes 75 women treated for clinical early-stage USC. Results: In 33 (44%) clinical early-stage patients surgical staging was performed and 15 patients (45%) proved to have lymphatic or abdominal metastasis. Use of adjuvant therapy was similar in patients, both staged with no metastasis (n = 18) and patients who underwent TAH and BSO only (n = 42, p = 0.17). No significant survival difference was found between surgically staged and TAH + BSO patients. Conclusions: Surgical staging proved to be important to determine stage of disease and hence prognosis. Surgical staging did not lead to selective avoidance of adjuvant therapy in patients with no metastasis.

Uterine serous carcinoma; Surgical staging; TAH; BSO.

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