[Laparoscopy in the management of uterine cancers]

There are two places for laparoscopic surgery in the management of uterine cancer. For the patients who have to be submitted to primary surgery the laparoscope enables us to select the ones who can be operated without laparotomy (no lymph nodes involvement after laparoscopic lymphadenectomy) and to make easier the "minimal access surgery" (laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy and radical hysterectomy). For the patients who have to be submitted to radiotherapy (and concomitant chemotherapy), the laparoscope enables us to select the ones for whom an extended field radiotherapy is useless (no aortic lymph nodes involved after laparoscopic lymphadenectomy) and to perform an ovarian transposition which protects the ovarian function of young patients.