The baseline recurrence risk of patients with intermediate-risk cervical cancer

This study aimed to investigate the prognosis of patients with intermediate-risk cervical cancer and to evaluate the necessity of adjuvant therapy.

We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients with stage IB-II cervical cancer who underwent type III radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy between 2008 and 2017. In our institution, radical hysterectomy is performed as an open surgery and not as a minimally invasive surgery, and adjuvant therapy is not administered to patients with intermediate-risk cervical cancer. The intermediate-risk group included patients with 2 or more of the following factors: tumor size >4 cm, stromal invasion >1/2, and lymphovascular stromal invasion. Intermediaterisk patients with squamous cell carcinoma were included in the I-SCC group, whereas those with endocervical adenocarcinoma, usual type, or adenosquamous carcinoma were included in the I-Adeno group.

There were 34 and 18 patients in the I-SCC and I-Adeno groups, respectively. The 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival rates in the I-SCC group were 90.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 85.3-95.7%) and 100% (95% CI, 100%), respectively, whereas those in the I-Adeno group were 54.9% (95% CI, 42.0-67.9%) and 76.1% (95% CI, 63.7-88.4%), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that endocervical adenocarcinoma, usual type, or adenosquamous carcinoma, and tumor size >4 cm had worse RFS.

The I-SCC group had good prognosis without adjuvant therapy; therefore, adjuvant therapy may be omitted in these patients. In contrast, the I-Adeno group had poor prognosis without adjuvant therapy; therefore, adjuvant therapy should be considered in their treatment.