Para-aortic lymph node involvement revisited in the light of the revised 2018 FIGO staging system for cervical cancer

This dual-institutional, retrospective study aimed to determine the clinicopathological risk factors for para-aortic lymph node (LN) metastasis among women who underwent radical hysterectomy with systematic pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy for 2009 FIGO stage IB1-IIA2 cervical cancer.

Institutional cervical cancer databases of two high-volume gynecologic cancer centers in Ankara, Turkey were retrospectively analyzed. Women with 2009 FIGO stage IB1-IIA2 cervical cancer that had undergone radical hysterectomy with pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy between January 2006 and December 2018 were included in the study. Patient data were analyzed with respect to para-aortic LN involvement and all potential clinicopathological risk factors for para-aortic LN metastasis were investigated.

A total of 522 women met the inclusion criteria. Pelvic LN metastasis was detected in 190 patients (36.4%), para-aortic LN metastasis in 48 patients (9.2%), isolated para-aortic LN metastasis in 4 (0.8%), and both pelvic and para-aortic LN metastasis in 44 (8.4%) women, respectively. The independent risk factors identified for para-aortic LN involvement included parametrial invasion (odds ratio [OR]: 3.57, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.65-7.72; p = 0.001), metastasized pelvic LN size > 1 cm (OR: 4.51, 95% CI: 1.75-11.64; p = 0.002), multiple pelvic LN metastases (OR: 3.83, 95% CI: 1.46-10.01; p = 0.006), and common iliac LN metastasis (OR: 2.97, 95% CI: 1.01-8.68; p = 0.04). A total of 196 (37.5%) patients exhibited at least one risk factor for para-aortic nodal disease.

Parametrial invasion, metastasized pelvic LN size > 1 cm, multiple pelvic LN metastases, and common iliac LN metastasis seem to be independent predictors of para-aortic LN involvement.