Lymph nodal metastases and the clinical stage of cervix carcinoma

It has been proved that surgery is essential both for therapy and for diagnostic staging of gynaecological cancer. We have studied 131 patients who underwent pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy. Out of the cases of the 1st clinical stage, the staging error was 16.4%. 10 cases were understage: 3 belonged to the 2nd surgical stage, 6 to the 3rd one and 1 to the 4th one. Out of 61 patients at the 2nd clinical stage, 44.2% were overstaged and 36.1% were understaged; in fact 16 belonged to the 3rd and 6 to the 4th surgical stage. 1 woman of the 6 belonging to the 3rd stage was at the 4th surgical stage. All 3 patients of the 4th stage had both clinical and surgical correct staging. The results show the determinant meaning of node metastases and their spreading for a correct surgical staging. According to the regular distribution of metastases, it has been shown that in 81.1% there is a regular rule while in 18.9% there is not a metastatic regular distribution. This study confirms the reliability of our surgical statement based on lymph nodal radical excision.