Survival after multimodality treatment for stage IIIC endometrial cancer

Objective: Our purpose was to review our results of multimodality treatment of lymph node metastasis in endometrial cancer (stage IIIC). Study Design: All patients underwent surgical staging for endometrial cancer with complete pelvic and aortic lymphadenectomy. All macroscopic nodal metastases were resected. Patients with microscopic nodal metastasis received adjuvant teletherapy, whereas those with macroscopic nodal metastasis received chemotherapy (carboplatin AUC 5 and paclitaxel 135 mg/m2 every 3 weeks for 6 courses) followed by teletherapy. Results: Twenty-one patients had stage IIIC disease, and one had stage IVB (inguinal nodal metastasis). Sixty-four percent of tumors were poorly differentiated. Fifty-five percent of patients had pelvic nodal metastasis only and 41% had macroscopic nodal metastasis. At a median follow-up of 3.8 years, 32% of patients had recurrence, all extrapelvic. Overall mean survival was 48 months and progression-free survival was 40 months. Overall survival for microscopic nodal metastasis was >60 months versus 35 months for macroscopic metastasis. Overall survival for pelvic nodal metastasis was 53 months versus 42 months for aorticinguinal metastasis. There were no complications from lymphadenectomy, a 22% chemotherapeutic toxicity, and a 14% radiation toxicity. Conclusion: Our surgical, chemotherapeutic, and radiation treatment protocol for stage IIIC endometrial cancer produced minimal toxicity and good survival. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;184:1071-3.)