Management of early stage endometrial papillary adenocarcinoma

This retrospective study examined the outcome in 42 women with early stage (FIGO I/II) endometrial adenocarcinoma (papillary, n = 22 and nonpapillary, n = 20). In patients with papillary carcinoma, median survival was longer when surgery and/or radiotherapy was applied (18 to 36 months) than when such treatment was not used or systemic progestational therapy was employed (6 to 9 months). Among those evaluable women, the 5-year survival rate was significantly (p = 0.01) better in the nonpapillary than the papillary type adenocarcinoma, 45% (9/20) versus 6% (1/16) respectively. However, abdominal failure and distant metastasis rates in papillary carcinoma were 5% while local recurrence and distant metastasis rates in the nonpapillary variety were correspondingly 20% and 15%.