Efficacy of systematic lymphadenectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy in node-positive endometrial cancer patients

To assess the efficacy of systematic lymphadenectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy in minimizing pelvic sidewall and para-aortic failures.

Between January 1984 and December 2001, a total of 146 patients with stage III and IV endometrial cancer and lymph node metastases were treated at our institution. Adequate pelvic lymphadenectomy was defined as the removal of more than 10 pelvic lymph nodes, and adequate para-aortic lymphadenectomy was defined as removal of 5 or more para-aortic lymph nodes. The 24 patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy were excluded. We assessed the ability of adequate pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy, together with radiotherapy, to prevent pelvic and para-aortic recurrences.

Of the 122 patients studied, 94 (77%) had adequate pelvic lymphadenectomy and 47 (39%) had adequate para-aortic lymphadenectomy. Pelvic radiotherapy was administered to 78% and para-aortic radiotherapy to 29% of patients. Median follow-up of censored patients was 56 months. Twenty-five percent of patients had pelvic sidewall failure at 5 years. Pelvic sidewall failures at 5 years occurred in 57% of patients who had inadequate node dissection and/or no radiotherapy, compared with 10% for those having both adequate lymphadenectomy and radiotherapy (P < 0.001). After risk factor assessment in a regression model, only treatment with adequate lymphadenectomy and radiotherapy was a significant independent predictor of pelvic control (P = 0.03). The performance of definitive pelvic lymphadenectomy may have increased treatment-related morbidity in the subgroup of patients who had postoperative radiotherapy. For the 41 patients with positive para-aortic lymph nodes, the 5-year para-aortic failure rate was 34% after adequate lymphadenectomy but without adjuvant para-aortic radiotherapy. Likewise, 69% failed in the para-aortic area when adjuvant para-aortic radiotherapy was administered to patients not having adequate para-aortic lymphadenectomy; however, none of the 11 patients failed in the para-aortic area after adequate lymphadenectomy and para-aortic radiotherapy (P = 0.08).

Adequate (pelvic and para-aortic) lymphadenectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy appear complementary in reducing failures in both the pelvis and para-aortic areas in patients with node-positive endometrial cancer.