Modified radical hysterectomy for early Ib cervical cancer

A total of 39 patients with selected early Ib cervical cancer were treated with modified radical hysterectomy (MRH) and compared with 102 patients with nonbulky Ib cervical cancer treated with radical hysterectomy (RH). Postoperative voiding difficulty (15.4 vs 46%) and constipation (43.6 vs 74.5%) were significantly less after MRH than after RH. All patients with MRH were followed uneventfully and the 3-year survival rate is 100%. No recurrence or persistence of disease was noted. It is suggested that patients with exophytic squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix less than 2 cm in diameter and invading less than 10 mm, as diagnosed by conization, may be effectively treated with MRH, resulting in less morbidity.