Clinicopathologic features and treatment in patients with early stage uterine clear cell carcinoma: A 16-year experience

To evaluate clinicopathologic factors and adjuvant treatment effects on recurrence free (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in early stage uterine clear cell carcinoma (UCCC).

Our retrospective review included central pathology confirmed stage I or II UCCC treated and/or followed between 2000 and 2016. Cases with pure or mixed histology with >50% UCCC were included. Data were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regressions.

112 women were identified. Median age was 65.5 years (range 34-94). Most patients had mixed UCCC (61%), while 39% had pure UCCC. The majority of patients had stage IA UCCC (66%) versus stage IB (15%) or stage II (18%) disease. Adjuvant treatment included chemotherapy + radiation (26%), brachytherapy (27%), whole pelvic radiation (15%), chemotherapy alone (8%), and observation (24%). Thirty-eight (34%) women had recurrent disease. Median RFS was 4.32 years (95% CI 2.77-5.78). On multivariate analysis, age ≥70 (HR 2.48, 95% 1.28-4.81) and positive LVSI (HR 2.19, 95% CI 1.15-4.18) were associated with shorter RFS. Median OS was 9.8 years (95% CI 7.46-15.93). On multivariate analyses, age ≥70 (HR 3.57, 95% CI 1.64-7.74) and positive LVSI (HR 2.46, 95% CI 1.12-5.37) were associated with shorter OS. In this retrospective descriptive uncontrolled patient series, adjuvant treatment type did not impact RFS or OS.

OS approaches 10 years for early stage UCCC patients. Women ≥70 years have worse PFS and OS regardless of treatment modality, encouraging consideration of quality of life implications when electing for adjuvant therapy.